Agenda item

The Committee will receive a presentation providing an update on the Adults Strategic Safeguarding Service and on the Oldham Safeguarding Adults Board Business Plan 2020/21.

The Committee received a presentation with contributions from Dr Henri Giller, Independent Chair of the Children and Adult Safeguarding Partnerships; Jayne Ratcliffe, Deputy Managing Director Health and Adult Social Care Community Services; and Hayley Eccles, Head of Strategic Safeguarding addressing an overview and context of Covid-19 and of Partnership assurance processes in relation to adult safeguarding, the Children and Adult Partnership response to Covid-19 across Social Care, Health and the Police, and an update on the Children and Adult Partnership business plan.

The recent organisational and managerial changes impacting on the Adults Strategic Safeguarding Service were reported, it being noted that the Service had maintained core delivery while going through both redesign and the delivery of a proactive response to Covid-19.  The emerging risks impacting on adults safeguarding were highlighted, together with the interventions being made to mitigate against these risks.  Statistical data as to aspects of adult safeguarding was presented, including an analysis comparing the period February – May in both 2019 and 2020, it being noted that there had been an increase of 248 referrals in 2020 over the respective period in 2019.

The work of the wider Adults Services in support of care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic and the financial implications presented by Covid-19 were considered.   In the short to medium term it seemed almost inevitable that the Council would need to consider some form of financial support for those care homes with a financially unsustainable level of vacancies. Without support, there could be a wave of closures, meaning a movement of residents creating a serious risk of spreading infection and the potential for wider health and wellbeing risks which could fall within safeguarding adults criteria.  Alongside this, there were a number of concerns about carers and the associated risks and mitigations were highlighted.

Returning to the structure of the Adult Strategic Safeguarding Service, the Committee was reminded that an Adult Safeguarding Review completed in 2019 had made 22 recommendations and was advised of progress made in  establishing a Strategic Safeguarding Service which included a Board Business Unit to support the Board and sub-groups, introducing Strategic Safeguarding Leads, a revised Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) function, and a small team of specialist Safeguarding practitioners to provide a link between practice and strategic activity.  Work to achieve the objective of making safeguarding personal was highlighted, and an opportunity for Members to further consider a number of randomly selected, anonymised cases was offered.  The process undertaken for developing the Oldham Adults Safeguarding Board’s Business Plan for 2020/21 was outlined and the key priorities for the forthcoming three months highlighted.  A brief outline of the risks and the associated mitigations to address those risks associated with connected work being undertaken by the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group and by Greater Manchester Police locally was also presented.

A Member noted reference to the number of outstanding DoLS cases, referred to a previous presentation by the Managing Director of Health and Adult Social Care Community Services who had reported on pending legislation to introduce a simplified process and queried how the backlog of cases was to be addressed.  The Committee was advised that the simplified procedures had now been anticipated for 18 months, to the extent that relevant training had been undertaken.  However, the date for implementation had now been put back by government a number of times.  With regard to the outstanding DoLS cases, these were reviewed for urgency and new systems, including agreed referrals and the triaging of cases, were contributing to a robust action plan to address these over the coming six months.

In response to a query as to whether and when the Service could be considered as getting to good, it was noted that the ability and willingness of the Service to challenge itself would develop the service and it was important to ensure that people considered the service provided to be good, as was suggested by feedback reported previously in respect of the making safeguarding personal objective.  Responding to a query as to the hosting of a website for the safeguarding service, it was confirmed this would be hosted on the Council’s website.

An update of the position concerning care homes and Covid-19 was requested.  While 38 homes in the Borough had reported cases, only three care homes were now reporting positive cases which reflected on the hard work undertaken by all partners in response to the challenge.

In concluding remarks, the Chair of the Safeguarding Boards noted and commented upon the hard work which had been undertaken to get the Service to its current position, a Member suggested that the presentation or similar detail should form part of the elected Member Development Programme, and the Chair expressed thanks on behalf of the Committee for the presentation made to the Committee.

RESOLVED that

1.            the presentation of the work of the Adult Safeguarding Service and the Oldham Adult Safeguarding Board be noted;

2.            the Committee give a further consideration to the randomised safeguarding cases highlighted in the presentation.