Agenda item

James Reilly, Independent Chair of the Islington Safeguarding Adults Board, introduced the report which summarised the work of the partnership in 2017/18.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         The report set out the Safeguarding Adults Board’s achievements, as well as current and ongoing concerns about adult safeguarding issues.

·         There had been an increase in the reporting of adult safeguarding concerns, however the number of concerns which resulted in enquiries had decreased. It was suggested that this indicated a greater awareness of safeguarding issues, as opposed to an increase in the number of vulnerable adults. However, to provide additional assurance work was underway to ensure that concerns were being processed adequately, and that those reporting concerns were being adequately signposted to appropriate services.

·         Mr Reilly was pleased with work in processing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications; noting that Islington was one of the few local authorities which did not have a backlog.

·         The Safeguarding Adults Board would collaborate with partners across North Central London when considered appropriate. It was noted that neighbouring boroughs had similar priorities to Islington and it may be beneficial to carry out some work at a cross-borough level.

·         The Safeguarding Adults Board was pleased that Islington Council was working well with the borough’s care homes. This had previously been a cause for concern, however partnerships with care homes had strengthened over the past year. Mr Reilly emphasised the importance of engaging positively with the residents of care homes and their families. 

·         A serious case review had been carried out in 2017/18. This had taken longer than expected to conclude and there were lessons to be learned from the review.

·         Four training events had been held on domestic violence issues. It was commented that these had been well attended by a range of partners.

·         The Safeguarding Adults Board had developed a strong partnership with HM Prison Pentonville; this was a significant improvement as engagement with the prison was previously limited.  It was commented that the prison was carrying out significant and complex work to improve their safeguarding practices.

·         Although Mr Reilly welcomed the progress made in Islington’s safeguarding practices, he also expressed caution about being complacent. Engagement with safeguarding board activities had decreased recently and this was a concern.

·         Mr Reilly noted that the Safeguarding Adults Board had sought an £8,000 funding contribution from local NHS trusts however this had been refused. It was commented that this was not sustainable as the Board needed funding if it was to be effective. It was known that this was also an issue in other boroughs and the chairs of London Safeguarding Adults Boards were due to discuss this at a future meeting.

·         Homelessness was a significant safeguarding concern. A current serious case review related to a homeless person was reviewing the practices of four boroughs, including Islington. This had identified that further work was needed to improve communication and partnership working between health and care services, housing services, council tax and rent collection services, and others.

·         It had been suggested that safeguarding boards should be required to review all deaths of homeless people. Although Mr Reilly sympathised with this view, he also expressed caution that safeguarding boards did not have the capacity to carry out this level of work.

·         There were some safeguarding concerns related to young adults in the criminal justice system. It was commented that Islington had a strong focus on safeguarding children, however further work was needed to develop services for young adults.

·         It was advised that more referrals were received about working age adults than those aged over 65.  In response to a question, it was commented that referrals for working age adults typically related to concerns about those with learning disabilities or mental health issues.

·         The Board noted the risk of financial exploitation of older people, including through cold calling and distraction burglary. It was commented that financial exploitation was a common concern, particularly in relation to friends and family defrauding older people. The Police were keen to raise awareness of this issue as it was thought that financial exploitation was under reported.

·         The Board welcomed the Safeguarding Board’s work on modern slavery, noting that this was a complex issue which was not always easily identifiable.

·         The Board reiterated its commitment to the safety of both adults and children; safeguarding was the Board’s top priority, and all members of the Board needed to champion safeguarding issues in their respective organisations.

·         It was suggested that it may be useful for more detailed safeguarding data to be shared with members of the Health and Wellbeing Board. This would provide additional assurance that the borough’s safeguarding arrangements were effective and would also allow Board members to identify themes and areas for further partnership working to minimise and prevent safeguarding risks. It was advised that this would be raised with the NHS Clinical Quality Review Group.

RESOLVED:

(i)            To receive the Annual Safeguarding Adults report;

(ii)           To commend adult social services staff for their commitment to preventing abuse where possible and responding to concerns of abuse or neglect of vulnerable Islington residents.