BTH Adult Safeguarding team
Ahead of National Safeguarding Adults Week, meet the BTH Safeguarding team.
The Adult Safeguarding Team at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is a 13-strong, diverse mix of nurses, social workers and ex-police staff.
The team exists to carry out a range of important functions including:
- Supporting staff to identify adults at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and radicalisation
- Guiding staff through appropriate referral pathways
- Advising on additional support
- Improving practice, implement change and learning lessons
- Participating in enquiries involving Adult Safeguarding issues
- Liaising with Police Public Protection and external agencies
- Following governance procedures
- Following Mental Capacity Act/ Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
It also works as part of a wider Safeguarding team, including child safeguarding, contextual safeguarding and complex social midwives.
Recently four new recruits joined the team – Adult Safeguarding Practitioners Carl White, Sarah Solman, Maxine Stansfield and Anne Nedderman. This has enabled the team to be more visible in the Trust, particularly in the community where we have recently set up a community rota within the team.
There are also plans in place to expand the Health Independent Violence Advisor team with a new recruit who will join in December and help support, respond, risk assess and safety plan with victims of domestic abuse across the Trust.
Paul Corry, Named Professional for Safeguarding Adults, said: “Safeguarding is such an important part of the work the Trust carries out every day. Adults can be vulnerable to abuse and neglect, especially if they have care and support needs.
“Abuse comes in many forms and can often have a damaging effect on the health and wellbeing of an individual, the effects may be short term, or may last a long time. The signs of abuse aren’t always obvious, and the victim may not tell anyone what is happening to them – sometimes they may not even be aware they are being abused. That’s where we come in.”
As a Trust, BTH has a number of responsibilities – committing to safeguarding and promoting the health and welfare of all patients and service users as well as important governance procedures and a culture that learns lessons from safeguarding incidents.
Paul added: “Safeguarding is everyone’s business and a responsibility that has to be shared across the organisation. Effective collaborative and joint working between professionals and agencies is essential to protect anyone at risk of harm or neglect. All staff have a duty of care to promote and protect human rights, independence, dignity and safety at all times.
“It is also recognised that the wishes and feelings of the adult at risk must be taken into account wherever possible to enable a person-centred approach to Safeguarding.”
BTH’s Safeguarding team supports and advises on a range of issues – the Care Act 2014 incorporated 10 types of abuse, including physical, sexual, organisational, emotional, financial, Modern Day Slavery, self-neglect, discrimination, Neglect/ acts of omission and domestic abuse. Other safeguarding concerns could include allegations against staff and radicalisation.