As the Independent Chair of the Plymouth Safeguarding Adult Partnership (PSAP), I’m pleased to be able to introduce our annual report for the year ending April 2022.
Whist the publication of this report is a statutory requirement in the Care Act, it is also an opportunity to be transparent with our work and publicise our activities as well as offering residents, communities, and stakeholders an opportunity to participate and contribute to the work of adult safeguarding in the city. If you would like to be involved or know more on any aspect of adult safeguarding work in Plymouth, please get in touch via: adultsafeguarding@plymouth.gov.uk.
This report gives a summary of the work of the Partnership during 2021/22, including the work of our various sub-groups. This year’s report mirrors the same format as the last two years, which received very positive feedback. The report is divided into sections and offers links to explore in more detail specific areas of safeguarding activity.
As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded in 2020/21, it brought with it unprecedented challenges for our residents, communities and the organisations that work to keep us safe. Some of these challenges remain today and the legacy effects of both the pandemic and the capacity of organisations to manage demands in different phases of that period will remain with us for some time to come. Whilst we are yet to fully understand the full scale of the impact in terms of adult safeguarding, we know there will have been impacts that have been exacerbated for many by prolonged periods of social isolation and significant challenges to the provision of adult social care services.
Within this context, the multi-agency safeguarding work with our local communities remains vital. 2021/22 saw agencies working ever more closely to ensure effective safeguarding arrangements were delivered against our work programme. Highlights of our work programme and impact include:
- refining the quality assurance framework and processes for the Partnership, leading to the formulation of an annual assurance statement which offers an insight into the levels of confidence and assurance we hold in areas of partnership safeguarding practice
- commissioning an engagement project, led by Living Options Devon, to better understand then needs and experiences of our residents
- delivering learning and changes to practice arising from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) and recommendations from Her Majesty’s Coroner
- aligning national Quality Marker standards to our local SAR work
- delivering an independent review and analysis on the issues driving self-neglect harm in the City and agencies responses.
Once again, the service pressures experienced by agencies, and particularly on front-line workers, over the last year are not to be underestimated. I would like to express my appreciation and sincere thanks for the commitment and innovation all partners have shown and for the dedication, professionalism, and hard work of so many safeguarding professionals. There is no greater acknowledgement of this local professionalism than that of a PSAP member winning a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural National Safeguarding Adults Boards’ awards “We see you; we hear you.” A richly deserved accolade demonstrating the quality of people in our safeguarding teams.
As always, there is no room for complacency in safeguarding. The scale of work and level of ambition we have set ourselves continues to be significant, but I’m confident that by working collaboratively the PSAP will continue to improve and develop their safeguarding practices.
Andrew Bickley
Independent Chair, Plymouth Safeguarding Adults Partnership
June 2022.