1. Safeguarding Adults Lincolnshire County Council April 2010

2. 2 Safeguarding The publication of No Secrets in 2000 by the Department of Health/Home Office said in the introduction “ Agencies’ primary aim should be to prevent harm from happening but where the preventative strategy fails, agencies should ensure that robust procedures are in place for dealing with incidents of harm

3. 3 Background Information In the late 1990’s several serious incidents demonstrated the need for immediate action to ensure that individuals who are at risk of harm receive protection and support.

4. 4 Background Information The Government gives high priority to such action and sees local statutory agencies and other important partners in ensuring action is taken wherever needed Guidance was issues under Section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 requiring the Local Authority to play a co-ordinating role in developing local policies and procedures.

5. 5 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire Although Lincolnshire County Council has the lead role in Safeguarding Adults from the outset what we want in our relationship with you is “ Good quality care for our people of Lincolnshire”. If that happened 100% of the time we could cut down the amount of staff involved in Safeguarding. We firmly believe that everyone placed within your settings have a right to live their life free from harm. We have heard already that as our agents you act on our behalf. We have duty of care and you work on our behalf to carry that out.

6. 6 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire We make no bones about the fact that we want good quality care provided by good quality care providers who keep our people safe, look after them well, treat them as individuals and treat them with the respect and dignity that you would like to be afforded yourself. We have numerous providers in Lincolnshire who do this.

7. 7 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire SO what is the problem? No doubt you will tell us ( but after this presentation ) What we can tell you is that:

8. 8 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire In 2008/2009 there were 795 alerts/referrals received across Lincolnshire 96% had the first Strategy Event within 24 hours. 46% were closed at either the alert stage or at the first strategy event (problem solved) 54% of alerts were investigated Male Alerts 185 in 18 to 64 age band, 84 in 75-84 group and 47 in 85+ Female 170 in 18 – 64 age band. 160 in the 85+ and 115 in 75 – 84 50% of alerts connected with staffing in some way.

9. 9 Serious Case Reviews Like Children's Safeguarding, the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board have to publish serious case reviews. We have published one this year and have already commissioned another one from an Independent author.

10. 10 Serious Case Reviews The criteria for a Serious Case Review is: A vulnerable adult dies( including death by suicide) and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in their death. A vulnerable adult has sustained a potentially life threatening injury through abuse or neglect, serious sexual abuse or sustained serious and permanent impairment of health and the case gives cause for concerns about the way in which professionals and services work together. Serious abuse takes place in an institution or where multiple abusers are involved.

11. 11 Serious Case Reviews The last thing all of us need or want is to be involved in a serious case review particularly when the Daily Express becomes involved. Trial by media is not to be recommended.

12. 12 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire Some of you may be aware that we have recently had a high profile Crown Court case against a care home manager. Some of you may have been subject to safeguarding investigations yourself and will know that we have a variety of ways to resolve the situation. The baseline is that we want to resolve the issue as expediently as possible with the priority being the safety of the resident. Complying with us is absolutely essential to this.

13. 13 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire Adult safeguarding is not going to go away. We will be joining together the safeguarding agenda with the dignity agenda so that we can continue to look at the range of behaviours which span the breach of Human Rights and at risk of serious harm. The central point will always be the risk and impact on the individual.

14. 14 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire No problem with businesses making a profit. GOOD FOR YOU.. Lincolnshire County Council have regular information sharing meetings with CQC re poor performers. What we don’t want in the future is a lack of compliance on your part to our action plans. That does not bode well for either of us IF we were to have a Serious Case Review PLUS it is fairly indefensible anyway.

15. 15 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire To swiftly bring in the Mental Capacity Act, it is in EVERYONES BEST INTEREST in these exceptionally challenging times that we work together. We all have the same aim “ to provide good quality care for the people of Lincolnshire”. At LCC we are looking at Personalisation in one part of the organisation, Supported living in another. Government intent is for people to stay at home longer. Times are changing for us all, it is getting harder. LCC is in a transformation period itself.

16. 16 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire The base line is that we want to work with you to provide good quality care for the people of Lincolnshire. That is what you want isn’t it ? That is safeguarding then.

17. 17 Safeguarding in Lincolnshire However you are central to this as our agents. Our intent will always be to work with you to solve the problem, whatever the problem is. However you must be willing to work with us, so that together we can safeguard individuals as our main priority. However, we also need to be able to safeguard ourselves as organisations, so that, we can defend ourselves against any type of action or complaint that is levied against us whether it arises from families, lawyers, MP’s or worse...............