Safeguarding statement

01Our position

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and it sits above confidentiality when someone is at risk of serious harm. Every member of our staff, clinical or not, is expected to act on a concern rather than assume that somebody else will.

Our clinical service is for adults aged 18 and over. That does not narrow our duty: children live in the households of the adults we treat, prescribed controlled drugs are kept in those households, and adults we treat may themselves be at risk. Both parts of this statement apply to us every day.

02Children and young people

A child is anyone under the age of 18. We do not accept patients under 18, but we do ask about children in the home, because a Schedule 2 controlled drug in an unsecured cupboard is a risk to a child who lives with it.

We give every patient clear direction on safe storage and we ask about it again at review. Where we are told, or come to believe, that a child is being neglected, harmed or exposed to significant risk, we act.

We follow the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and the duties under the Children Act 1989 and 2004. Nothing in this statement requires certainty before acting: a reasonable concern is enough.

03Adults at risk

An adult at risk is a person aged 18 or over who has needs for care and support and who is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and cannot protect themselves. Our duties come from the Care Act 2014.

Abuse takes many forms, and we look for all of them: physical, sexual, psychological, financial, discriminatory and organisational abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control, modern slavery, self neglect and neglect by others.

Because we prescribe controlled drugs, we pay particular attention to signs of coercion, of a patient being pressured to obtain medication for someone else, and of financial exploitation. A patient who appears to be under pressure is asked about it privately.

04Our duty to act

Every member of staff must raise a safeguarding concern the same working day, and immediately where there is a risk of serious harm. Staff do not investigate, and they do not need to be sure. They report.

Where someone is in immediate danger, we call 999 first and record afterwards. We do not delay an emergency response to complete a form.

05How concerns are raised

• The concern goes to the Safeguarding Lead the same working day, using our internal safeguarding form, with the facts recorded separately from opinion.
• The Safeguarding Lead assesses the concern, seeks clinical or legal advice where needed, and decides on referral. The decision and its reasons are recorded either way, including a decision not to refer.
• Referrals about a child go to the children's social care team of the relevant local authority, and to the police where a crime may have been committed.
• Referrals about an adult at risk go to the adult social care team of the relevant local authority under section 42 of the Care Act 2014.
• We tell the person what we are doing and why, unless doing so would increase the risk to them or to a child, or would prejudice a criminal investigation.
• We cooperate fully with any enquiry, share information proportionately, and follow up to check that action was taken. We do not treat a referral as the end of our involvement.

We may share information without consent where it is necessary to protect a child or an adult at risk. Our privacy notice explains the lawful basis for that.

06Mental capacity and consent

We work to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Capacity is assumed unless there is a reason to question it, it is assessed in relation to a specific decision at a specific time, and an unwise decision is not evidence of incapacity.

Where a patient lacks capacity for a decision, anything done must be in their best interests and the least restrictive option available. We involve those with a lasting power of attorney or court appointed deputy where one exists, and consult family and carers where appropriate.

Where a patient has capacity and declines a safeguarding referral about themselves, we respect that unless a child is at risk, another adult is at risk, a serious crime may have been committed, or the risk to them is so serious that we must act anyway. We explain our reasoning to them.

07Staff, training and recruitment

• All staff complete safeguarding training for children and adults at induction, at a level appropriate to their role, with refresher training at least every 3 years.
• Clinical staff are trained to intercollegiate framework level 3 for both children and adults.
• Recruitment follows safer recruitment practice: identity checks, right to work, references, professional registration checks and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the level the role requires.
• Professional registration is verified at recruitment and re verified regularly.
• Safeguarding is a standing item at clinical governance meetings, and every concern is reviewed for learning.
• Staff can raise concerns about our own practice without fear, under our whistleblowing arrangements and the protections of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

08Our Safeguarding Lead

Safeguarding Lead: [named safeguarding lead to be confirmed]. Email [safeguarding email address to be confirmed]. Telephone [telephone number to be confirmed].

Deputy Safeguarding Lead: [named deputy to be confirmed]. Board level responsibility for safeguarding sits with [named director to be confirmed].

If you are worried about a child or an adult at risk and you cannot reach us, contact the local authority safeguarding team where the person lives, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 for a child. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.