Following the publication in March 2020 of a Safeguarding Adult Review regarding Donald Pemberton, the following recommendations were identified:
- Devon and Cornwall Police ensure all relevant staff know how to access licence information from the Police National Computer, appreciate the potential value of this information, and the need to promptly notify NPS teams of relevant arrests
- Devon and Cornwall Police ensure these issues are fully addressed in the training of new staff
- Devon and Cornwall Police ensure arrest notifications are made when they are required and without delay
- Devon and Cornwall Police, the National Probation Service (NPS), and Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) ensure the ‘Direct Access’ system is successfully implemented and that anticipated improvements are made in sharing information on offenders
- The NPS and CRC ensure warrants are sought in order to expedite breach proceedings when appropriate
- Devon and Cornwall Police ensure they consider wider public safety, including a review of the suspect’s PNC record, when making a decision to grant bail or release them under investigation
- Devon and Cornwall Police ensure they adopt a balanced approach to complying with the ‘necessity to arrest’ principle, that a suspect’s PNC record always informs arrest decisions and that public protection considerations will always inform decisions to arrest or not
- Livewell Southwest (Community Mental Health Teams) and the Zone ensure safety plans for patients supported in the community are reviewed when circumstances change
- Livewell Southwest (Community Mental Health Teams) and the Zone ensure the capacity of family members to contribute to the safety plan is assessed and support provided to family members where necessary
Action has been taken to address these recommendations and the Plymouth Safeguarding Adults Partnership (PSAP) in conjunction with families, has continued to monitor progress and ensure all learning is embedded into agency practice.
Devon & Cornwall Police
- A Prison Licence page has been added to the force intranet site, where officers and staff can access full license conditions and details for the relevant probation staff member.
- Introduced the Direct Access programme which has given access to police IT systems to probation services. These two new introductions to police processes have aided information sharing between colleagues and partner agencies.
- Custody Officers undergo comprehensive training and cover all the requirements to undertake PNC checks and to use this information when considering the release of a detainee. They are also trained extensively in the application of the law around bail and risk assessments on the release of a detainee; which includes public and victim safety. Custody officers are tested through workplace assessments which are required to prove their competency. This also includes scrutiny over their considerations when releasing a detainee.
Probation Services
- The Direct Access system is currently working well for the NPS. Staff access the daily intelligence report and where there is a known service user the offender manager is contacted.
- The forthcoming unified Probation Service will continue to provide staff direct access to the intelligence reports
- CRC Quality Development Officers have now been recruited across the area from July 2020 to work with staff on developing quality and effectiveness of practice.
Livewell Southwest
- The First Response Service provides a single point of contact for people experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as their families and their carers. It also provides advice and information to other agencies and organisations. It aims to meet people’s urgent mental health needs using a holistic health and social care approach, as far as possible in their communities or in people’s own homes, offering alternatives to attending hospital and a safe place for enhanced brief psychological intervention and support with mental wellbeing and problem-solving.
- The First Response Service is designed in response to national policy and guidance (e.g. the NHS Long Term Plan) calling for 24/7 mental health crisis response services, and expedited most recently due to the directive for the ‘immediate establishment of 24/7 urgent NHS mental health telephone support, advice and triage as a priority in the context of Covid-19. Livewell Southwest’s First Response Service launched 24/7 on 1 May 2020.
The continued progress and monitoring of the above recommendations will remain a focus for the Partner agencies involved, in conjunction with PSAP's overarching quality assurance process. Learning from Safeguarding Adult Reviews, within the key strategic themes of Partnership, Engagement, Learning, and Assurance remains a core principle.