Safeguarding statement
Primrose Safeguarding Lead- Linda Fams
Primrose Safeguarding Champion- Olu Famuditimi
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd recognises the definition of safeguarding as the actions taken to keep Service Users safe from harm and neglect.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd and its employees understand the importance of working together in partnership to make sure that individual Service Users are safe through its collective and proactive approach to safeguarding.
4.1 What Constitutes Abuse
Employees of Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd understand that the Service Users Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd supports can be extremely vulnerable to abuse and neglect, especially if they have care and support needs.
Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human or civil right by any other person. It is where someone does something to another person, or to themselves, which puts them at risk of harm and impacts on their health and wellbeing.
Abuse can have a damaging effect on the health and wellbeing of Service Users; these effects may be experienced in the short and long term and sometimes can be lifelong.
The signs of abuse are not always obvious, and a victim of abuse may not tell anyone what is happening to them – sometimes they may not even be aware they are being abused.
The robust governance processes at Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will make sure that staff working for, and on behalf of, Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd, recognise and respond to the main forms of abuse which are set out in the Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance Chapter 14, which is not an exhaustive list, but an illustration as to the sort of behaviour that could give rise to a safeguarding concern:
l Physical abuse
l Domestic violence and abuse
l Sexual abuse
l Psychological abuse
l Financial or material abuse
l Modern slavery and human trafficking
l Discriminatory abuse
l Organisational abuse
l Neglect and acts of omission – failure to act
l Self-neglect
l Emotional and psychological abuse
l Cyber bullying
l Mate crime
Common signs and symptoms of abuse include:
l Unexplained changes in behaviour or personality – such as aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity
l Becoming withdrawn
l Seeming anxious, depressed or unusual fears, or a sudden loss of self-confidence
l Withdrawal from friends or usual activities
l Lacks social skills and has few friends, if any
l Poor bond or relationship with close family members
l Running away or going missing
l Sleep problems and nightmares Hidden harms may also include:
l Exploitation
l County lines
l Forced marriage – honour based abuse (HBA)
l Female genital mutilation (FGM)
l PREVENT
l Radicalisation
l Gang violence
l Modern slavery
Everybody has the right to live a life that is free from harm and abuse. Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd recognises that safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect is everybody’s business. Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd aims to ensure that all adults at risk of abuse or neglect are enabled to live and work, be cared for and supported in an environment free from abuse, harassment, violence or aggression. The safeguarding policies and procedures of Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will dovetail with the Surrey Council multi-agency policy and procedures, which we understand take precedence over those of Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd. Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will ensure that the Surrey Council policies and procedures are reflected within its own policy and procedure, that this is shared with all staff and is accessible and available for staff to follow.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd aims to provide services that will be appropriate to the adult at risk and not discriminate because of disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, culture, or lifestyle. It will make every effort to enable Service Users to express their wishes and make their own decisions to the best of their ability, recognising that such self-determination may well involve risk. Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will work with Service Users and others involved in their Care to ensure they receive the support and protection they may require, that they are listened to and treated with respect (including their property, possessions and personal information) and that they are treated with compassion and dignity.
A chaperone is always present when a vulnerable adult needs treatment, and missed healthcare appointments must be monitored to consider signs of abuse or neglect. These must be followed up with the healthcare provider and information shared in the best interests and safety of the Service User.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will follow the six principles as set out in guidance to the Care Act 2014 and this will inform practice with all Service Users:
Empowerment – People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent
l Prevention – It is better to take action before harm occurs
l Proportionality – The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented
l Protection – Support and representation for those in greatest need
l Partnership – Local solutions through services working with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse
l Accountability – Accountability and transparency in delivering safeguarding
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd understands the importance of working collaboratively to ensure that:
l The needs and interests of adults at risk are always respected and upheld
l The human rights of adults at risk are respected and upheld
l A proportionate, timely, professional and ethical response is made to any adult at risk who may be experiencing abuse
l All decisions and actions are taken in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005
l Each adult at risk maintains:
l Choice and control
l Safety
l Health
l Quality of life
l Dignity and respect
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd is committed to the principles of ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’ and aims to ensure that safeguarding is person-led and focused on the outcomes that Service Users want to achieve. It will engage Service Users in a conversation about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation in a timely way that enhances involvement, choice and control as well as improving quality of life, wellbeing and safety.
Modern salary statement
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, and human trafficking, all of which include the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery within the business and supply chains and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our dealings and relationships. We will implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd or within any third parties (agencies) that we are associated with.
All staff will be made aware of the issues surrounding slavery and human trafficking, whilst being encouraged and supported to report any concerns to Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd
management. Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will also support any staff that may be subject to slavery or human trafficking.
Where modern slavery or human trafficking is identified, Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will share information with the Surrey Council Safeguarding Team to safeguard the individual from harm and with the objective of preventing future situations arising, to promote the elimination of routes and sources of slavery or human trafficking.
All line managers are responsible for ensuring that those reporting directly to them comply with the provisions of this policy in the day to day performance of their roles.
All employees who suspect any members of the workplace being victim of modern slavery must notify their line manager.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will take steps to ensure that sufficient communication and employee awareness training is undertaken with regards to Modern Slavery.
All employees will be made aware of the Raising Concerns, Freedom to Speak Up and Raising Concerns, Freedom to Speak Up and Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure at Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd. The purpose of this policy and associated procedure is to enable Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd to thoroughly investigate allegations of any wrongdoing raised by employees within Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd without fear of reprisal.
Primrose Healthcare Services Ltd will use this policy to underpin and inform any statement on slavery and human trafficking that we may be required to produce to meet the requirements of Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA).