CRB checks in chaos

The Daily Mail has revealed that thousands of public sector staff are unable to work because of a backlog of necessary checks have not been cleared. Up to 50,000 workers – including 12,000 nurses – have been caught up in the delays to new computer equipment that is needed to carry out the checks. A row has now broken out between the Met and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

The delay is a direct result of the CRB installing computer systems that were incompatible with the Met’s software. Nurse Sally Powell who threatened to sue the police after being unable to work for five months passed a letter she had received from the Met to Nursing Times that said: “The problem arose because the Criminal Records Bureau went live with a computer system linking to a national database in February 2006. The Metropolitan Police Service told the Criminal Records Bureau that its computer system would not be ready to link into this in time and that they should not send referrals on that system until the Metropolitan Police Service was live. However the bureau went ahead anyway and the Met had no choice but to stockpile the CRB referrals.”

Ms Powell said: “99.99 per cent of the time you never even need these checks but every time you change organisation you have to get it done. I was told the check would take between four and six weeks but it took five months.

“I had to take work doing odd jobs. I had to freeze my mortgage because I had no money coming in. Some nurses have had to wait for eight months and that has impoverished them. It is an infringement of my civil rights to employment as a qualified nurse. I have written to the Home Secretary.”

A spokesman for the Met told the Daily Mail: “The technical problems which are referred to in the letter sent to Ms Powell were addressed when the MPS system went live on May 2, 2006. There are a number of outstanding checks – however the backlog referred to has been reduced considerably. Since the new system went live the Metropolitan Police have been processing 50,000 checks a month.”

A spokeswoman for the Criminal Records Bureau said: “The CRB`s first and foremost priority is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by assisting organisations who are recruiting people into positions of trust. Priority must be the safety of children and vulnerable adults – neither the CRB or the Met will sacrifice quality for speed.”