St Monica Trust Brexit Page

Brexit

We will update this page with any Brexit-related news for staff, residents and their families here at the St Monica Trust.

12 April 2019

You can download this briefing as a PDF here.

At the time of writing, the EU and the UK have agreed a delay to Brexit until 31 October 2019. We want to reassure you that the Executive Team members hold weekly Brexit update meetings and will inform us of any future relevant news.

In a recent public letter to health and social care staff, Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, reinforced the Government’s commitment and support to EU staff who intend to remain living and working in the UK. The letter also confirms that European qualifications by all professional regulators covering the health and social care sectors will continue to be recognised. This means EU staff who are currently practising in the UK can continue to do so after exit day.

Settled Status – Daria’s story

One of our colleagues in the People Directorate, Daria, has recently completed the EU Settlement Scheme status check.

Daria gave her friends and family her good news at the weekend – she had had her settled status confirmed and was happy and relieved that the process wasn’t nearly as tricky as she’d expected. Here’s what happened when she made her application.

The first things she needed were an Android phone and an e-passport (see the PDF download of this briefing to see the e-passport symbol that needs to be on your passport).

The Android phone also needed to have the NFC (Near Field Communication) setting activated – this is the function used to make contactless payments.

Phone located, settings switched on and passport at the ready, Daria downloaded the app which is on the Google Play Store (EU Exit ID document check).

The app was very clever – from there she took a photo of the photo page of her passport, placed the phone on the passport to locate the electronic chip until the app beeped. The app then requested that Daria take a selfie photo of herself - making sure her head lined-up in the circle. All very clear and easy to follow.

Then she was given a choice, either complete the application now by following the link provided (through to the Government website) or receive an email with a link to the application in it.

She chose to complete the application immediately but this is where things slowed down a little. Daria waited in a queue for 25 minutes but, she notes that when her parents did their applications earlier the same day, they didn’t have to queue at all.

Then Daria completed some straight forward application questions, like full name, address, National Insurance number, any criminal convictions etc.

Now, if you have worked for 5 years or more in the UK, you should receive a response that says ‘Settled Status’. This decision will be based on your National Insurance number showing that you have worked (and paid taxes) for the last 5 years. In Daria’s case, her response said ‘Pre-settled Status’, because she’d spent some time in the last 5 years at university. She then had the opportunity to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with the decision (any outcome gives this option), of course in her case Daria clicked ‘disagree’.

This route led Daria to a few more questions just to clarify her activities for each year that was missing of the 5 years. Daria found this very easy – she had this evidence on her university degree certificate of the dates she enrolled and graduated. The good news is that everything is electronic in this process so she just attached an image of this document to the application and then clicked ‘submit’.

She received an instant auto reply email to say thank you and that a case worker would be in touch within 1 to 4 days. And, delayed by just 1 day, Daria received her final decision over the weekend.

Daria received confirmation of her Settled Status by email but, because this isn’t formal proof of status, applicants are asked to log into the application again. You then see your name, the picture you uploaded and your confirmed status on the website.

Regardless of future Government decisions on Brexit, you will have until at least December 2020 to apply for proof of your status. At St Monica Trust we encourage our colleagues from EU countries to check their status following this route as soon as you have gathered the documentation you need – so this will include your e-passport, a compatible Android phone and your National Insurance number. If you have been in education or have not worked continuously for the past 5 years you’ll also need any proof of activity during that period - that might include bank statements, payslips or, as in Daria’s case, university or college certificates (a full list of acceptable documents is on the website should you need it).

If you don’t have access to a suitable Android phone, there are other options available such as having your ID document verified by organisations such as Bath and North East Somerset Council. We will support our colleagues in their application - if you need any help, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your line manager, your HR business Partner or your Colleague Engagement Manager. I’m sure you’ll join us in giving a huge thank you to Daria for sharing her story with us.

01 March 2019

With all the uncertainty surrounding Brexit we want to reassure you that our executive team is working with the board of Trustees and other groups within the care sector, to address the many challenges posed by the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Financial efficiencies are helping to ensure we have the funds available to protect colleagues, residents and our frontline services, no matter what the outcome of Brexit.

To ensure that you are kept informed about any future developments regarding Brexit, we will post updates through email, posters, the Inside Focus staff newsletter and our website. Please remember to check them regularly.

If you are affected by Brexit, you are invited to come along to our Brexit Support Meetings for colleagues, which will offer an informal and supportive environment for you to raise any concerns or queries you have:

Sandford Station, Sherwood Training Room 8 March, 2019 at 2.00pm
Cote Lane, Garden House Atrium 12 March, 2019 at 2.00pm

Meanwhile, please note that colleagues from EU countries may wish to use the Settlement Scheme pilot app to check their status. Details on how to use this app can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-eu-exit-id-document-check-app.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your line manager, your local HR Business Partner or Naomi Stone, Colleague Engagement Manager. Check the central telephone list for contact details.

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