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2.5 Involving commissioning in safeguarding enquiries

1. Social Care Commissioning – Care Homes

For residential care homes, within the Strategic Co-operative Commissioning team, the Quality Assurance and Improvement Team (QAIT) is responsible for commissioning, assurance and improvement of care homes.

The team should be informed of concerns relating to care homes, for example; the quality of care, organisational abuse or whole service concerns. The team will be involved in safeguarding meetings to advise and support the safeguarding plan whilst enquiries progress.  QualityAssurance&ImprovementTeam@plymouth.gov.uk

2. Social Care Commissioning – Other Services

Commissioners are responsible for contract management of all services commissioned by the council. They can carry out reviews of services and address any specific issues or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of their contract.

The Strategic Co-operative Commissioning team is responsible for a range of contracts, including domiciliary care, supported living, extra care housing, befriending. Commissioners should be informed of concerns and will be invited to safeguarding meetings to advise and support the safeguarding plan whilst enquiries progress.  JointCommissioning@plymouth.gov.uk

3. Health Commissioning – NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB)

NHS Devon ICB are responsible for commissioning most of the health services in Devon and as such need to be made aware of concerns related to the following:

  • Hospital Care (i.e. Derriford and Mount Gould)
  • Fully funded Continuing Healthcare (CHC) packages of care in the community
  • Nursing Home care – because this always includes an element of health funding
  • Fully funded Continuing Healthcare in residential homes;
  • Livewell Southwest including services for people with learning disabilities based at Westbourne, community nursing and mental health services both inpatient and community.

They should be informed of any safeguarding concern relating to staff, services, or service users they are commissioning at in order that they can monitor all safeguarding incidents relating to services they commission. d-icb.safeadults@nhs.net

When a safeguarding referral is made by a health provider it is their responsibility to notify the ICB. When a referral is received by the local authority from a member of the public or a patient, the local authority will inform the ICB.

4. NHS England

NHS England is responsible for ensuring that the health commissioning system is working to safeguard and promote the welfare of its citizens.

All staff, whether they work in a hospital, a care home, in general practice, or in providing community care, and whether they are employed by a public sector, private, or not-for-profit organisation, have a responsibility to safeguard children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect in the NHS.

Each NHS England region must have a regional safeguarding lead to ensure regional collaboration and assurance and in the South West we have a diverse skill set that helps us in our key roles.

Our function is to support the delivery of the national safeguarding programme, providing leadership and support to our safeguarding partners across the South West, as well as supporting the specialist safeguarding roles within our own commissioned services.

South West team email address: england.swsafeguarding@nhs.net

Link to the national NHS England safeguarding webpages policies and further information: https://www.england.nhs.uk/safeguarding/

5. The Safeguarding Process – Multi-Agency Working

This guidance is about sharing information about safeguarding concerns with commissioners. It does not change the local authority responsibility to coordinate safeguarding enquiries.

Other health professionals should still be informed, involved and consulted as appropriate throughout the process. For example, although details of a concern have been sent to the NHS Devon ICB, it may still be necessary to contact a community nurse to gather information or ask a learning disability nurse to carry out a joint visit to a service user.

Where there are concerns about abuse or neglect of people whose care is funded by continuing healthcare, a representative of the Continuing Healthcare team should be invited to attend meetings.

PCHCIC.CHCFNCPlymouth@nhs.net  

6. Concerns about Organisations Commissioned by Health and Social Care

When it becomes apparent as part of a safeguarding enquiry that there may be risk to other service users in or receiving services from one provider organisation, it is important to inform other organisations who commission that service.

For example, in a care home where some residents are funded by social care, and some residents are funded by health, it would be appropriate to inform NHS Devon ICB if a safeguarding concern about a social care funded resident raised potential concerns for the safety of other residents, In that case, information should be shared with QAIT, the Continuing Healthcare team and NHS Devon ICB.

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