Employment Agencies Act 1973 - Ensuring Compliance Northern Ireland Deanery

Terms of Business

The Northern Ireland Deanery is currently seeking advice on whether it is classified as an Employment Agency for the purposes of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 ("the Act") and associated regulations. In the meantime, applicants for specialty training posts are notified of the following terms and conditions that will apply to the provision of services by the Deanery in connection with the recruitment of junior doctors to training programmes.

1. The services provided include a work-finding service for which the Act prohibits the Deanery from charging a fee.

2. The services provided by the Deanery will be provided without any charge to either junior doctors or the NHS employers that engage them.

3. If it is determined that the Act applies to the Deanery, the Northern Ireland Deanery will operate as an employment agency in providing the services.

4. The Deanery is authorised to act for NHS employers that are offering training posts as part of the junior doctor training programme and is not authorised to enter into contracts with junior doctors on behalf of those employers.

By proceeding with the application process and/or accepting information from the Deanery about applicants for places on the training programmes, applicants are deemed to accept these terms and conditions.

Below are a number of documents which the Deanery and the Trusts may send to successful applicants to posts:

1. Deanery’s initial offer to a training programme Example - click here
2. Deanery’s ‘introduction’ to employer – Issued by Deanery Example  - click here
3. Employer’s conditional offer – Issued by Trust Example - click here
4. Employer’s Statement Example - click here
5. Deanery’s ‘introduction’ to employer for subsequent posts on rotation Issued by Deanery - click here