Agenda item

The report updates on the arrangements for safeguarding adults in Hammersmith & Fulham.

Ms Bruce introduced the report which set out the arrangements in place for the Council to meet its new statutory responsibilities when the Care Bill becomes law in 2015. The report updated on the improvements in respect of; leadership and good governance of adult safeguarding; the development of best practice in adult safeguarding casework; and the measurement of effectiveness of safeguarding work during 2012/2013. 

The Tri-borough Safeguarding Adults Executive Board, which had had its inaugural meeting on 30 July 2013, had agreed the following five high level outcomes:

People are aware of safeguarding and know what to do if they have a concern or need for help;

People are able to report and are listened to;

Concerns about harm or abuse are properly investigated and people can say what they want to happen;

People feel and are safer as a result of safeguarding action being taken (but being safe on its own is not enough); and

The wider well-being of people was maintained and enhanced as a result of safeguarding activity.

The work of the Board was carried out through three workstreams: Community Engagement, Communications and Prevention; Developing Best Practice; and Measuring Effectiveness.

Peer audits had been introduced in all three boroughs. The findings were shared and the learning and remedial actions agreed and monitored in  a borough based Quality Improvement Group. This had resulted in significant improvements in the number of cases sampled ‘performing well’ or above. The findings from peer and external audit, and the Annual return to the Department of Health had been used by the Tri-borough Learning and Development team to commission Safeguarding and Mental Capacity Act training.

Work was ongoing in respect of improving the quality of care in care and nursing homes through monitoring patterns of care, contracts and reports from families and  the Care Quality Commission (CQC) monthly reports on homes inspected. A Tri-borough protocol was in place, and this had been used to address concerns with the owners and manager of a large nursing home used by residents of all three boroughs. The home had been subject to a CQC recommendation not to place people there in the previous year, but with consistent hard work and commitment to raising standards by all concerned, was now fully CQC compliant and was reporting high levels of satisfaction.  

Ms Baillie highlighted the works with contractors and commissioners to improve quality checks on homes and to provide staff training to improve practice and quality assurance.

In response to a query regarding the involvement of Healthwatch, Ms Banham stated that Paula Murphy, Director of Healthwatch was now a member of the Safeguarding Board.

Members’ queried benchmarking against other London boroughs, deprivation of liberty safeguards and the external and peer audits.

Ms Banham responded that the Department of Health published the Annual Return and that from 2013/2014 the return would include a question on whether or not the safeguarding process had removed or reduced the risk to the person. There was informal benchmarking with other boroughs and monitoring by external audit (Framewoki) across the three boroughs had significantly improved the quality of recording and information sharing. It was intended to produce a Tri-borough Annual Report in the Autumn.

The CQC had prioritised Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and ensuring that people in residential care were there within the legislative framework. In 2012/2013 eight out of ten Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications made by the Council had been authorised. These would normally relate to someone in the care of a hospital or care home who needed care or treatment and wanted to leave and would be at risk by doing so.  The decision would be based on the principle of the least restrictive option. The  case would be referred to the Court of Protection, should benefit and risk be finely balanced. The person would receive independent support throughout the process.

in respect of Police training, Ms Banham stated that a police superintendent was a member of the Safeguarding Board and that there was good engagement with the police. However, it was no longer possible to provide regular briefings.

Ms Bruce stated that the Care Bill would introduce a duty of candour.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The report be noted.

2.    The Annual Safeguarding Report be added to the work programme.

The Chairman agreed to  the change of  order in which  the Housing and Regeneration Department items were taken.