Adult Safeguarding Policy and Procedure

Policy Aim

We all have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of people who are at risk of harm. Safeguarding adults includes activity which prevents harm from occurring and activity which protects adults at risk where harm has occurred. Safeguarding ranges from the empowering and strengthening of communities, through prevention and early intervention, to risk assessment and management, including investigation and protective interventions.

Adult at risk of harm: ‘A person aged 18 or over, whose exposure to harm through abuse, exploitation or neglect may be increased by their personal circumstances and/or life circumstances’

Adult in need of protection: ‘A person aged 18 or over, whose exposure to harm through abuse, exploitation or neglect may be increased by their personal circumstances and/or life circumstances, and, who is unable to protect their own well-being, property, assets, rights or other interests; and, where the action or inaction of another person or persons is causing, or is likely to cause him/her to be harmed’

(Northern Ireland Adult Safeguarding Partnership (2020)

Company procedures for protecting vulnerable groups are in accordance with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012). As such, DHSSPS guidance, regional protocols and procedures issued by HSC Trusts are adhered to, including:

“Adult Safeguarding: Prevention and Protection in Partnership” (2015); and

“Protocol for Joint Investigation of Adult Safeguarding Cases” (NIASP 2016)

Adult Safeguarding Champion

The company’s Adult Safeguarding Champion is the Nurse Manager

Their key responsibilities include:

To provide information, support and advice for staff and/or volunteers on adult safeguarding within the organisation;
To ensure that the organisation’s adult safeguarding policy is disseminated and support implementation throughout the organisation;
To advise the organisation regarding adult safeguarding training needs;
To provide advice to staff or volunteers who have concerns about the signs of harm and ensure a report is made to HSC Trusts where there is a safeguarding concern;
To support staff to ensure that any actions take account of what the adult wishes to achieve – this should not prevent information about risks of serious harm being passed to the relevant HSC Trust Adult Protection Gateway Service for assessment and decision making;
To establish contact with the HSC Trust Designated Adult Protection Officer (DAPO), PSNI and other agencies as appropriate;
To ensure accurate and up to date records are maintained detailing all decisions made, the reasons for those decisions and any actions taken;
To compile and analyse records of reported concerns to determine whether a number of low level concerns are accumulating to become more significant. These records must be available on request for inspection or by way of service level agreements or contract review meetings.

Preparing staff for work

Provision of healthcare services falls within the scope of ‘Regulated Activity’ in relation to adults and children, as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Order 2007 (SVGO) and as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PoFA). Procedures for protecting adults at risk, and adults in need of protection are therefore included in the induction of all staff proposed to register with the company by:

having proposed staff complete an enhanced AccessNI Disclosure;
having proposed staff complete training on Safeguarding Adults at risk of harm, Adults in need of protection (training will include protection from abuse; indicators of abuse; responding appropriately to suspected, alleged or actual abuse; and reporting suspected, alleged or actual abuse). This training is refreshed every three years as a minimum.

Recognising signs of abuse

Candidates assigned for work through Direct Medics Ltd must always be aware of their responsibilities in respect of safeguarding, and alert to the signs of abuse, which can take many forms. For example:

Verbal / psychological abuse: such as using demeaning language or name calling, provoking or frightening the service user or subjecting them to witness unpleasant acts. The service user may appear frightened, nervous, irritable or withdrawn;

Physical abuse: such as rough handling, slapping, punching or burning. Look for marks and bruises that cannot be explained. The person may wince or withdraw from you when you approach them;

Sexual abuse: people who have been sexually or indecently assaulted may have soreness or bleeding in the genital area;

Financial abuse: such as using someone’s credit card to steal money without their knowledge, or stealing valuable or sentimental items. The person may appear worried or withdrawn;

Neglect/Deprivation: such as the withholding of basic rights or comforts such as food, light, heating, medication or personal hygiene. The person may appear dirty or be inappropriately dressed for the time of year.

Additional forms of abuse will interface with Safeguarding, such as:

Domestic violence or abuse: defined as ‘threatening, controlling, coercive behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, virtual, physical, verbal, sexual, financial or emotional) inflicted on anyone (irrespective of age, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any form of disability) by a current or former intimate partner or family member’. The response to any adult facing this situation will usually require a referral to specialist services such as Women’s Aid or the Men’s Advisory Project. In high risk cases a referral will also be made to the Multi- Agency Risk Assessment (MARAC) process;

Human trafficking/modern slavery: Involves the acquisition and movement of people by improper means, such as force, threat or deception, for the purposes of exploiting them. It can take many forms, such as domestic servitude, forced criminality, forced labour, sexual exploitation and organ harvesting. Victims of human trafficking/ modern slavery can come from all walks of life; they can be male or female, children or adults, and they may come from migrant or indigenous communities. The response to adults at risk experiencing human trafficking/modern slavery will always be to report the incident to the Police Service;

Hate crime: Any incident which constitutes a criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice, discrimination or hate towards a person’s actual or perceived race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability, political opinion or gender identity. The response to adults at risk experiencing hate crime will usually be to report the incident to the Police Service.

At each new client, staff should familiarise themselves with any policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and be aware of the signs that may indicate abuse or neglect.

Reporting suspected, alleged or actual abuse

All suspected, alleged or actual incidents of abuse are to be reported both to the Company and to either the Gateway Service at the Health and Social Care Trust or the Registered Manager of the independent sector setting within which the suspected, alleged or actual abuse has taken place.

THE OUT OF HOURS NUMBER FOR ALL TRUSTS IS 028 9504 9999

The Gateway Service may report the alleged abuse to PSNI for investigation. The Company will take a statement from the person reporting the suspected, alleged or actual abuse for use in any resulting investigation, either by the relevant Health and Social Care Trust, the PSNI and/or any other relevant organisations. The Company will keep written records of all such investigations, including the outcome and any action taken by the Company. Where shortcoming in Company systems are highlighted as a result of any such investigation, procedures will be reviewed with a view to adding safeguards.

Allegations of abuse against Company Staff

Allegations of abuse or neglect against candidates working through Direct Medics Ltd will be taken very seriously. If we receive complaints of this sort against a member of staff, the following will take place:

The Registered Manager will inform the candidate whether the company will be able to offer work whilst the allegation is being investigated;
Advice will be sought from the Nursing & Midwifery Council as to whether a referral is appropriate, whilst the allegation is investigated

In the event that the Protocol for Joint Investigation of Adult Safeguarding Cases is invoked, company investigation will cease save for an initial statement until the external investigation is concluded. Following this, and in the event that allegations are proven, the following may take place:

The candidate is subject to the company disciplinary procedure;
The candidate may have their registration with the company removed;
The candidate may be referred to the Disclosure & Barring Service;
The candidate may be referred to the Nursing & Midwifery Council (if a referral was deemed unnecessary by NMC at the outset of the investigation).