Safeguarding adults means providing additional support for those least able to protect themselves from harm or abuse. The Care Act (2014) describes adult safeguarding as protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect by protecting adults who:
- have needs for care and support
- are experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect; and
- as a result of those care and support needs, are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of, abuse or neglect.
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is a member of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Adult Safeguarding Partnership Board and further information regarding adult safeguarding is available its website: https://www.ssaspb.org.uk/Home.aspx
Adult safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you suspect that an adult with care and support needs is being abused or neglected, don’t wait for someone else to do something about it.