Issue 30 | February 2024
Welcome to the February edition of Pass It On News.
A bi-monthly newsletter bringing you the headlines and new policies, procedures and guidance from your West Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board.
In this newsletter
In December 2023 we were pleased to have held our first in-person Board meeting since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The topics discussed included:
- an update from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP);
- a deep-dive by the Quality and Performance subgroup;
- presentation by a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) author;
- an update on upcoming improvement works to the Pan-Sussex Safeguarding Policy and Procedures website.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 2024.
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John was an 88-year-old man who was registered blind and also had some difficulties with his mental health over the years. After fracturing his hip, John required long-term care in a care home. John passed away in June 2022, after making the decision to end his own life through refusal of foods and fluids. In the final weeks of John’s life, several safeguarding concerns were raised by the agencies involved in his care. John’s mental health was also assessed and five mental capacity assessments were undertaken by different agencies.
Our review has found four areas where improvements are required:
- Professional curiosity and defensible decision-making
- The use of self-neglect procedures
- The voice of carers and families
- Mental capacity
Key documents:
Additional reading:
The review identified that there was limited evidence of professional curiosity in John’s case, resulting in significant information not being known by professionals which could have changed decision-making and outcomes.
Professional curiosity is about exploring and understanding what is happening with an adult with care and support needs, enquiring deeper and using proactive questioning and challenge. It is about understanding one’s own professional responsibility and knowing when to act, rather than making assumptions, or taking things at face value. It requires skills of looking, listening, asking direct questions and being able to hold difficult conversations.
To support you to develop your skills in Professional Curiosity, please refer to our learning briefing and podcast.
Our Kingswood Organisational Learning Review and our Safeguarding Adults Review in respect of DJT told us that learning across agencies is needed regarding the difference between quality and safeguarding concerns.
As a result of this, we have updated and reissued our learning briefing in relation to the difference between quality and safeguarding.
Please do ensure that you read, and share, this learning briefing with your colleagues.
Key documents:
Additional reading:
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In December 2023 we published a Safeguarding Adult Review in respect of DJT.
The following recommendations were made in that Review, and as such, we ask that you ensure that staff in your organisation understand, and are appropriately using, the Safeguarding Thresholds:
- West Sussex should reinforce with its staff the distinction between abuse and neglect and poor quality of service. The Pan Sussex Safeguarding Adults Threshold document which supports staff in identifying potential safeguarding matters and referral processes should be followed.
- The Safeguarding Adults Board should seek assurance that all staff are able to follow the Pan Sussex Safeguarding Adults Threshold document and are aware of how to refer appropriate safeguarding matters to the safeguarding adult hub.
Key documents:
Additional reading:
As you may be aware, work is currently ongoing to bring you a new and improved Sussex Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures website this year.
We anticipate that changes will be implemented in April of this year, and in preparation for this, we ask that organisations begin to identify their internal documents, which signpost to, or link to, the current Sussex Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures website. These documents may require updating after the changes have been implemented in April.
We look forward to sharing the new website with you, shortly!
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