Our values

The HTA’s values are our shared beliefs about behaviours that:

  • will help us achieve our vision and strategy;
  • shape the way we deliver our regulatory functions; and
  • are integral to the way we interact with each other, professional stakeholders and the public.

They act as a powerful unifying statement about the way we intend to conduct our business.

Professionalism – the high standards we apply in the conduct of our individual and collective responsibilities.

Respect – a proper regard for the abilities and perspectives of others.

Expertise – the skills, knowledge and experience we apply for the benefit of our stakeholders and each other.

Agility – rapid and positive response to changes in the internal and external environment without losing momentum.

Professionalism

There are two ideas at the core of what we mean by professionalism at the HTA:

  • fulfilling our statutory responsibilities to a high standard and, in particular, exercising our functions in line with the Regulator’s Code and the seven principles of public life;
  • maintaining high standards of conduct in our dealings with each other and with stakeholders.

Professionalism encourages the trust of the public and those we regulate and helps maintain our reputation. 

We conduct our regulation in line with the following principles:

  • Proportionality - we intervene only when necessary; remedies are appropriate to the risk posed, and costs are identified and minimised.
  • Accountability – we are able to justify decisions and are subject to public scrutiny
  • Consistency -  our policies and standards are joined up and implemented fairly
  • Transparency - we are open and keep our standards user-friendly
  • Targeting - we focus on the problem and on minimising side effects

We follow organisational policies and procedures which are designed to encourage professional behaviour and we solve issues and problems by working collaboratively without resorting to conflict. Professional behaviour also helps us avoid offending stakeholders when they have different perspectives, cultures or backgrounds.

Respect

Respect is a key requirement for a healthy work environment. It promotes teamwork and increases productivity. It lets staff know they are valued for their abilities, qualities and achievements, and that their role is important to the HTA’s success. Being respected and valued promotes a positive work culture where staff are loyal, fulfilled, and motivated to perform at their best for the HTA.

We treat our colleagues and stakeholders with courtesy, politeness, and kindness and are committed to equality, diversity and inclusiveness.

Expertise

Professional expertise and relevant knowledge are critical to our success.  We recruit for expertise to enhance our capabilities, we invest in the improvement of professional knowledge and expertise, and we work hard to retain and share expertise.

As the HTA is a small organisation, every role and individual counts and makes a contribution to our overall success. Amongst our stakeholders, our reputation for right-touch, supportive regulation is founded on the expertise of our staff, in particular our Regulation Managers. Appropriate expertise ensures that our advice and guidance is trusted to be accurate which ensures better compliance and higher standards and, in turn, promotes public confidence.

Every individual in the HTA contributes to our success and each person’s expertise is critical to the delivery of our statutory responsibilities and to the effective operation of the HTA.

Agility

For the HTA to succeed in a fast-changing world, we need the ability to change and adapt at pace without losing sight of our long-term goals. Agility is important for success in a dynamic environment.

Advances in science and technology, political changes, regulatory trends and new business models all affect our regulation and pose opportunities and challenges for how we organise and run the HTA.

If our policies, advice and guidance are to remain relevant, then we need to be agile in the way we address emerging issues. In this way we protect our reputation.

Organisational change is also inevitable and to be embraced where it improves and simplifies ways of working or enhances organisational resilience. We adopt a systematic approach to change in order to address concerns and to help staff see change as an opportunity not a threat. 

Agility is supported by effective resource planning and rigorous prioritisation: deciding what is relatively most important and dedicating sustainable levels of resource to those priorities.