Health Services: Vulnerable Adults
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what local authority adult safeguarding procedures are required to accept concerns raised by individuals acting on behalf of adults who lack the capacity or ability to complain themselves.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
Anyone who is concerned that an adult with care and support needs is at risk of, or experiencing abuse or neglect, can contact the safeguarding adults team at the relevant local authority to raise a safeguarding enquiry.
Where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in the local authority’s area has needs for care and support, whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs, and appears to be at risk of, or experiencing abuse or neglect, and is unable to protect themselves as a result of those needs, the local authority must carry out a safeguarding enquiry.
Under section 68 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities must provide an independent advocate for adults involved in safeguarding enquiries when they would otherwise struggle to understand, retain, use, or weigh information, or to communicate their views.
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