Each year an external review is carried out on the Controls Assurance Review Process (CARP) by an independent body. The external review focuses on the Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) responses with the aim of providing additional assurance to the HSE on the reliability of the ICQ responses provided.
Who will conduct the reviews?
Sumer Northern Ireland(formerly ASM), Chartered Accountants, will be undertaking the independent review again this year. The expectation is to engage with approximately 275 staff.
How will the reviews occur?
There will be an option to complete these sessions remotely (as per previous years) or face to face, the format of the interviews will be the same regardless of how they are conducted. If, for any reason, supporting documentation can’t be validated during the call, it may be provided to Sumer after the call (within GDPR limitations).
When will the reviews occur?
Scheduling the external review interviews will begin immediately after the CARP closing date in mid December 2024. Sumer will be conducting the remote interviews throughout January 2025.
If selected to participate in the external review, Sumer will make contact without delay. They will seek to arrange a suitable date and time for your interview.
Please note: Sumer are a UK Based Company and will be contacting you from a +0044 telephone number or from an email address @sumerni.co.uk. Please ensure you engage with the team if they contact you.
Prepare and make sure you have supporting material available for the interview.
This includes:
- A copy of your CARP submission*
- Any extra supporting documentation or reference material relative to the review process
Where responses provided to statements in the ICQ were ‘Yes’ or ‘Work In Progress’, staff will be expected to provide evidence during the meeting to support these responses. There will be a set of general feedback questions asked at the start of the meeting such as whether you attended CARP Training, and if so, whether you found it useful.
*A copy of your CARP submission should be automatically sent to you and to your line manager after you submit your survey online (based on the email addresses entered by the participant in the introductory section of the survey). If you are unable to locate this, please contact the Governance & Compliance Team and we will provide a copy to you.
Typical format interviews
Sumer's objective is to review and report on the accuracy of responses provided by staff to support their CARP submission. They will also clarify any queries staff may have on the CARP process and report any relevant feedback to the HSE Governance and Compliance Team.
Sumer will consider a sample of approximately 20 statements during each interview as part of their review observing all aspects of your responses including your understanding of relevant procedures and the statements themselves.
Cooperation of all staff selected for the external review is expected. The auditors will endeavour to accommodate suitable meeting times especially for any staff selected who may have patient or client commitments.
