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Introducing Dale...
Hello to everyone, my name is Dale Meller and I’m a member of the Protection & Learning Team within the East Ayrshire HSCP, my role is Senior Manager.
The first thing which people sometimes note is my name – which is one of those names which can apply to any gender.
Sometimes people are surprised that I’m female, and then they always ask whether I enjoyed supermarket sweep (younger folk, sorry you won’t relate to this)!
What I do...
In my role I support all of the public protection committees in East Ayrshire and also work with our Chief Officer Group to ensure an integrated approach.
I am a social worker to trade with 25 odd years’ experience working across the public and voluntary sector, mainly in adult services. I’ve been with East Ayrshire in my current role for 5 years now. I really love my varied multi-agency responsibilities and the opportunities locally to develop and deliver support across settings. I also support our learning and development and local Ayrshire out of hour’s social work services.
What I like best about my job...
But the best part of my job is the Protection and Learning Team, which has grown and consolidated considerably over time. My colleagues are fantastic and really inspire and motivate me every day, they have helped me to be a better leader through their own leadership and innovative approaches to our work. I also love the diversity of my role and that no two days are ever the same!
When I'm not working...
Outside of work I enjoy keeping fit and being outdoors whenever possible. I am a member of a women’s choir in Paisley and love singing and listening to live music of all varieties. I love spending time with friends and family, some of whom are down in England.
Smitten by kittens...
I’m also a great fan of the feline having had cats my entire life. Last year my partner and I adopted two young sister cats from the SSPCA – they had a dramatic start in life being rescued from a puppy farm in Kilmarnock! Safe to say we are smitten and they are living their best life being served by two doting humans. Miaow.
Dale
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Introducing Marie...
Hello everyone! My name is Marie Furniss and I work as Senior Manager, Localities Health and Care within East Ayrshire HSCP. I have been in post for just over a year and have been made very welcome by colleagues across the partnership teams.
What I do...
My post is extremely varied and I love that I have responsibility for teams across Health and Social Care, giving us better opportunities to work together, achieving better outcomes for our people in East Ayrshire.
My services include: Community Nursing, Front Door Social Work Service, Hospital Social Work Team, Older People Community Mental Health Teams, East Ayrshire Community Hospital and Contracts and Commissioning for our Care Homes.
What I like best about my job..
I qualified as a Physiotherapist over 30 years ago (I do not feel anywhere near old enough!) and have always loved contributing to the care of Older Adults, usually with frailty or neurological problems. I have always understood that for people to flourish there needs to be truly integrated care with the person at the heart of driving what is best for them. I have been lucky enough to travel across the world and see how this is done in different environments. Working with the Partnership allows me to promote that vision as a manager.
When I'm not working...
When not at work you will usually find me socialising with friends or family, organising my next adventure or outside in nature. I have a young daughter and am happiest when outside discovering the world through the eyes of a 6 year old.
Marie
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 Happy hellos...
We welcome back Maxine Ward, Senior Manager & ASP Lead Officer, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership a well known face in Adult Protection and we look forward to continuing to work with her in keeping people safe and protected.
We also welcome back Ann McArthur, ASP Lead Officer, Public Protection Services in NHS Ayrshire and Arran who took time away to to work on the development of the Public Protection Service and has now returned to the fold of the Adult Protection Committee.
We welcome Peter Sharp, Detective Superintendent, Police Scotland to our Committee. Peter replaces Derek Cree, Detective Superintendent. We look forward to continuing and strengthening our relations with Police Scotland.
Fond farewells..
We say goodbye and thank you to Gus Harrison, Interim Senior Manager & ASP Lead Officer who returned to his substantive post of Service Manager within Authority Wide Services and Care at Home from 2 April 2024. We thank Gus for his contribution keeping people safe and protected and look forward to strengthening our partnership with this service moving forward.
We say goodbye and thank you to Derek Cree, Detective Superintendent, Police Scotland and wish him well in the future.
We say goodbye and thank you to Catherine Robertson, Interim ASP Lead Officer, NHS who took the reins for Ann McArthur, ASP Lead Officer, Public Protection Services in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. We wish her well in the future.
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East Ayrshire HSCP has provided funding for every bed in East Ayrshire's 18 independently owned Care Homes to have PainChek Software introduced.
This Software gives a voice to people who cannot verbalise their pain. It uses AI technology to support a modern pain assessment framework by identifying the presence of pain even when it is not obvious. This tool recognises and records facial muscle movements indicative of pain.
This will help to better manage pain within care, ensuring pain mediations are appropriate, and has been shown to reduce falls across pilot care homes of up to 42%, further protecting our most vulnerable residents from harm.
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ASP Lived Experience Project - Annual Report
The end of 2023 marks one full year of the ASP Lived Experience Project which was implemented to gather real time feedback from Adults who have been through the Adult Protection process. This project is led by East Ayrshire Advocacy with Maggie Smith, ASP Development Officer taking this forward and is revolutionary in Scotland in obtaining views of Adults.
Whilst this project is still in its infancy, and further promotional work is required, we have received a lot of really positive feedback and some very inspirational quotes:
‘I was actually relieved when I went in to hospital as all I had to do was open my eyes in the morning and I knew I was being looked after and I didn’t have to think about anything. [Social worker] was great and informed me about how much I was at risk I was by shutting myself away and not caring for myself…I think I may have died if no one came to check me’.
Source: Adult conversation
‘I do feel safe, I have my community alarm and my money is safe, social work look after this and I am glad’.
Source: Adult conversation
‘I believe the ASP has given the family an opportunity to pre-empt my [relative’s] future needs due to his dementia and hopefully he will continue his life in a safer environment. I have now put a referral forward to EAAS to assist my [relative] independently with his transition from his long-term home to sheltered supported accommodation’.
Source: Carer conversation
'This has been so liberating to talk to some independent from everyone involved, I have been sheltered for so long from being even a tiny bit independent.
"I don’t think I have told my story from beginning to end and oh my when I look back with you I can see the triggers and I wish I could learn to be more assertive with what I want in my life and to speak out. I want to do so much more, I want to go for coffee with a friend and meet other likeminded people.
"I love my family fiercely but I want to meet others. Thank you for listening, I feel now that this might be the beginning for me, I know you might not be able, but visit any time and keep in touch’.
Source: Adult conversation
2024 plans for the project include:
- Continuing to engage with social work teams to promote referral pathways
- Address any potential confusion re: referral pathways and consent (e.g. if person already has advocacy support)
- Develop opt in leaflet for practitioners to give to people when closing an ASP Episode - this will allow the adult to contact Advocacy in their own time
- Expand awareness raising and develop referral pathways beyond social work teams e.g.
- Advocacy Case Management System (identify ASPs that Advocacy have supported people with)
- Promote via the East Ayrshire Council Website: Information for adults · East Ayrshire Council
- Promote via East Ayrshire Advocacy Website: East Ayrshire Advocacy Services form
- East Ayrshire Adult Protection Engagement and Communication Sub Group - Planned Lived Experience Panel via Care Homes
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Large Scale Investigation Pathway
To support the multi-agency response and contribute to Large Scale Investigation (LSI) processes a new pathway for health contribution is being piloted, from January 2024 for an initial six month period. The intention is to offer partners easy access to coordinated health services support.
Health professionals can offer a range of supports around LSI including undertaking the role of co-investigative worker where this is appropriate. Having health professionals involved in this way can lead to timely health assessment, health information gathering and specialist clinical input. Often health professionals with a related area of expertise are most valuable.
Senior health professionals involved in the multi-agency LSI oversight groups can offer specialist clinical and ASP expertise and should be of sufficient seniority and experience to progress and cascade learning across the organisation. Health professionals with an expert knowledge of ASP are well placed to contribute to critical thinking and analyses alongside others in the LSI oversight group.
 To make sure access to the right health support happens as early as possible, the pathway is a direct contact:
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For Care Homes contact Josaleen Connolly, Senior Nurse, Professional Care Home Support Team
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For all other providers contct the Public Protection Health Team, aa.clinicalasphealth@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
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Refresh of Equally Safe Strategy
The Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhan Brown MSP and the Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Councillor Maureen Chalmers letter of 7 December 2023 on behalf of Scottish Government and COSLA provided a copy of the refreshed Equally Safe strategy, Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls.
This letter recognises the renewed opportunity for leaders to strengthen our dedication to preventing and addressing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Report analysis
In East Ayrshire as an APC we are currently engaged in an analysis of adult at risk reports where domestic violence is a factor in an attempt to better understand and improve our responses for those workers engaged and helping those affected to access their right to "safe, respected and recovered lives"
In addition, the ASP Lead is working collaboratively with the VAWG Lead in respect of related strategic actions on the EAVAWP Strategic Plan 2021 - 2024. This includes work with the APC Engagement and Communication Sub Group to consider how we can more effectively and regularly engage with local equality groups to ensure they are aware of the VAWG agenda and understand the equalities that underpin it.
We anticipate that this will continue to strengthen and contribute to the Equally Safe Delivery Plan.
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On National Adult Protection Day, Tuesday 20 February 2024, East Ayrshire Adult Protection Committee pledged to support East Ayrshire to protect adults at risk of harm by pledging to never commit, condone or remain silent about harm against any person, in all it's forms.
The Committee are asking everyone to help us reach a zero tolerance of harm for all citizens within East Ayrshire by sharing your pledge on your social media profile.
Pledge your support for Adult Support and Protection Day 2024 - Living Well East Ayrshire
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The annual EAAPC Development Day was held on 25 October 2023.
Here is a summary of the key findings and messages from the session:
- The method and approach to our session was effective in meeting its outcomes with recognition that higher attendance would have enriched an already positive experience
- The safety of our partnership is highly valued and of paramount importance. This means that we continue to nurture a partnership that is engaged and sharing the valued contribution it makes at a local and national level
- We know ourselves well both strengths and improvements. Activity we are progressing to support and strengthen governance and leadership is showing impact such as the new APC induction Handbook and person centred interactive sessions to learn from Learning Reviews
- The impact includes members feeling extremely connected or well connected to the work of the Committee that is growing in maturity. Partners have an understanding of its function which is viewed as growing in maturity beyond a statutory perspective
- There is a sense of readiness and confidence to further elevate our national profile and widen our reach. This includes making use of further opportunities to become engaged in national work as key learning partners
- Our early work on exploring a trauma informed approach to ASP and supporting anti stigma work will be a core strength in building a relational approach to business going forward
- We are doing some good work in developing our understanding of lived and living experience of ASP and recognise we need to place some additional emphasis on the same with families and carers
- We already have opportunities to proactively promote a collaborative approach to our work through the reestablishment of our self-evaluation programme as well as review and refresh of out APC ASP Improvement Plan for Jan 2025-Dcember 2026
- The key message for us all was” What underpins everything is how we relate and work with each other”. We acknowledge the complexity of ASP, the resourcing and multi facets are a challenge but as a Committee it is one we continue to be up for!
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Remember my name - Margaret Fleming
A Significant Case Review (SCR) was commissioned to examine the role of all the agencies that were involved with Margaret Fleming who died over 20 years ago and the circumstances that led to her death.
Prof MacLellan who undertook the SCR spoke to more than 100 people, including Margaret’s family and friends, during the course of the wide-ranging review and a series of recommendations have been made for all agencies involved to consider and look to implement.
Additional workings and research carried out as part of the extensive review has also been published to help with learning for professional organisations and individuals.
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Margaret Fleming Significant Case Review published - Inverclyde Council
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