Issue - meetings

(a)       That the contents of the report be noted;

(b)       That the increase in applications under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards be particularly noted; and

(c)       That the concerns of the Committee on the financial impact of future services be noted.

The Adult Safeguarding Manager presented the annual adult safeguarding report for April 2014 to March 2015 in compliance with the Welsh Government statutory document ‘In Safe Hands’.  He spoke about the continued increases in adult safeguarding referrals on which all agencies worked together ‘on the ‘identification, investigation, treatment and prevention of abuse of vulnerable adults’.  Information was shared on the process of evaluating referrals and work with Wrexham County Borough Council on local implementation of thresholds.  More work would need to be carried out on the definition of who should be protected under the adult safeguarding procedures to be clarified under guidance for the new legislation.

Of the 416 referrals received during the period, 173 had met the threshold for progression, 199 failed to meet the threshold and 44 had not been considered appropriate.  The figures within the report indicated a breakdown of all the referral sources along with the status of those which had met the threshold.  As a change from the usual trend, more referrals had related to women under the age of 65 than over.  It was noted that different types of abuse could be related and that each situation was significant to that person and their families.

An update was also provided on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) introduced to give legal protection for vulnerable individuals in care homes who lacked the mental capacity to make their own decisions.  The scope of DoLS had broadened following a court ruling in 2014, and this was reflected in the significant increase in referrals for assessment.

Councillor Hilary McGuill asked whether this increase included residents in sheltered accommodation and sought details of the process for dealing with referrals not meeting the threshold.  The Adult Safeguarding Manager advised that the DoLS covered individuals in care homes and hospitals only and that those authorities were responsible for identifying individuals in need of assessment.  He explained that when referrals were not taken forward, the team worked with social workers, police, etc to ensure the safety of the situation and to ease the concerns of the individual.  The individual was advised of the status of their case by telephone and a record of the discussion kept electronically.

When asked by Councillor McGuill for clarity on the definition of a vulnerable adult, she was advised of the definition in Wales of a person over 18 in community care services who was unable to protect themselves from abuse or harm.  The proposed widening of the term ‘vulnerable adult’ to ‘adult at risk’ had an extended remit and could include other groups in need of care and support such as young people or individuals who were homeless.

The Chair drew attention to the financial pressures on the Council arising from DoLS referrals, and asked whether additional funding would be forthcoming or shared from the health sector to support the process.  The Chief Officer stated that most of the financial burden was on councils with no additional funding identified from any source.  The additional funding allocated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56