Safeguarding

This declaration represents assurance that the Board of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has arrangements in place to ensure that children and Adults at Risk of harm, who come into contact with the Trust either directly, or as a family member of one of our patients, are safeguarded from harm.

In the past year the Trust has met all its statutory requirements in relation to safeguarding children, young people and adults and is fully compliant with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) fundamental standards relating to safeguarding.

• Recruiting and maintaining a safe workforce

  Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 the Trust complies with requirements of the Home Office Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in order to ensure that appropriate level of pre-employment checks are carried out during the recruitment process particularly those engaging in Regulated Activity.

  The Trust also ensures appropriate referrals are made to DBS if the Trust has dismissed or removed a person from working with children or adults at risk (or would or may have if the person had not left or resigned etc.) because the person has behaved in a way that may have caused harm.

• Policies and procedures

  The Trust has Safeguarding Children and Adults Policies that are reviewed three yearly as well as whenever amendments are required in line with new national or local policy and legislative requirements.

  The Trust has a defaulted appointments policy for managing defaulted appointments where there maybe safeguarding concerns for children and young persons

  Safeguarding Incidents identified within the Trust are reported on the Trust’s incident reporting system.

• Training

  Safeguarding Children and Adults Training is mandatory for all staff who work within the Trust. All new staff receive a safeguarding briefing on the Trust induction programme which is also mandatory for all staff. The on-going mandatory development of staff related to safeguarding training levels is in place. The level of training undertaken depends on the nature of the staff member’s role within the Trust.

• Safeguarding staffing

  The statutory requirements for safeguarding are met. The Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, Therapies and Governance is the Executive lead and is supported by the Assistant Director for Safeguarding. The Trust has a Named Doctor, Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Named Nurse for Safeguarding Adults and a Named Midwife in post for safeguarding children and adults. Safeguarding Specialist Nurses support the Named Professionals.

  The Safeguarding Team is in place to ensure that all staff within the Trust receive the required advice, support, supervision and training in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk.

  The Trust Board receives as a minimum an annual report of safeguarding activities and assurances from the Safeguarding Team via the Quality and Safety Committee reporting mechanisms. This report is also presented to the local Safeguarding Boards.

  The Trust has two Safeguarding Steering (Operational) Groups and a Safeguarding Assurance Group which is a subcommittee of the Quality and Safety Committee and is attended by CCG and Local Authority representatives. The Quality and Safety Committee has representatives from all of the Trusts Clinical Business Units and Local Commissioners.

• Collaborative working

  The Trust is represented on Local Adults Board, Safeguarding Children Board, Domestic Abuse Forums and all of their respective sub groups to ensure comprehensive partnership working.

Contact the adults safeguarding team

01704 705248 | soh-tr.safeguardingadults@nhs.net