How does the West Suffolk CBT Service ensure that its Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) policy is applied consistently and accurately within its service?

 

The West Suffolk CBT Service is committed to protecting vulnerable adults who may be at risk of abuse and helping those who have been abused. The West Suffolk CBT Service POVA policy sets out how the West Suffolk CBT Service seeks to ensure the protection of vulnerable adults. (This policy will need to be read in conjunction with West Suffolk CBT guidelines on identifying the abuse of vulnerable people). Within its POVA policy the West Suffolk CBT Service demonstrates its strict codes of confidentially, and follows guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society (BPS). As such, we are unable to share information about adult service users who we suspect are being abused unless they give us their permission. The only exception to this is in situations where a risk assessment has been completed and where our assessment indicates that service users are not able to make decisions for themselves because they lack the capacity to do so.

 

If an allegation of abuse is investigated our assessment will include information gathering. In this respect, the same rules of consent apply to information gathering as described above. Information gathering will include interviews and reference to files.

 

Employees working at the West Suffolk CBT Service are trained to identify and assist vulnerable adults, and regular briefings are conducted by Dr Nicola Ridgeway (Clinical Director) to ensure that a) guidelines for working with Vulnerable adults and b) the West Suffolk CBT Service POVA policy are followed.

 

Information Sharing for Adult Protection

 

When information will be shared

 

If a vulnerable adult is in immediate danger or in need of urgent medical attention, action will be taken immediately to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the vulnerable adult. This might include calling the appropriate emergency services. If there is a reason to believe that a crime has been committed, then the Police will be called immediately.

 

If abuse is suspected, individuals have the right to decide how and if they wish to be helped. Before information is shared with the service team responsible for safeguarding adults work, the consent of the individual will always be obtained, unless the individual lacks the capacity to give consent.

 

Information sharing for adult protection at the West Suffolk CBT Service

 

Communication with purchasers will first be made by telephone and then followed up in writing using email, or fax. Contact will be made as soon as possible. Key information that will be shared includes:

 

• persons name

• contact details

• ethnicity, gender

• religion

• language

• GP contact details

• details of suspected incidents

• nature of alleged abuse

• potential witnesses

• details of whether the Police have been notified

 

Gaining consent to make a Safeguarding Adults referral or for thegathering of information

 

When gaining consent the West Suffolk CBT Service will always make every attempt to try to inform the service user that they have the right to refuse to give consent to the sharing of their personal information or to request that both the type of information shared and the agencies with which it is be shared be limited (the service user may specify which agencies can or cannot be included).

 

In Safeguarding Adults work, unless urgent contact with the Police is required, the West Suffolk CBT Service will make a referral to the Social Care Team or to a responsible service team. We will also remind the service user that they will have the right to see the record of their referral.

 

Each of the organisations named as West Suffolk CBT Service purchasers have their own consent procedures and forms. These are not exclusive to Safeguarding Adults work and should be used whenever consent to share information is needed. The majority of these organisations also provide people with a leaflet informing them of their rights and where the information will be stored.

 

Establishing capacity to give consent

 

Adults are always assumed competent to give consent unless it is demonstrated otherwise. If it is felt that an adult is unable to give consent then procedures outlined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 will be followed by the West Suffolk CBT Service.

 

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into force in 2007 and the majority of statutory and non-statutory organisations working in West Suffolk, including the West Suffolk CBT Service have policies and procedures in place connected to it.

 

The main points of the Mental Capacity Act are:

 

• Health care and social care staff will have to assess capacity of service users to make individual decisions;

• Health and social care staff can carry out acts associated with care if they are in the best interests of a person without capacity;

• People acting under a lasting power of attorney or appointed by the Court of Protection can make decisions on behalf of a person without capacity, which clinicians, social workers, and other staff must abide by; and,

• A new offence of ill treatment or neglect of a person without capacity is introduced.

 

A key issue is that the local policy and procedure provides the basis for establishing capacity. This procedure explains how a person is unable to make a decision for him/herself if she/he is unable to:

 

• Understand the information relevant to the decision

• Retain that information

• Use that information as part of the process of making the decision, or

• Communicate the decision (whether by talking, using sign language or any other means)

 

The procedure also demonstrates that to be able to understand the information relevant to a decision the person must be able to understand the consequences of deciding one way or another or not deciding at all. A key point to remember is that every effort must be made to help service users understand the consequences of decisions that they are being asked to make.

 

The procedure provides the relevant information needed for an assessment to take place. This will be completed using an assessment of capacity form if social services are primary assessors, or consent Form 4 if the NHS are the primary assessors. Information will be recorded in the service user’s clinical notes if it relates to a decision, and this information shared with other agencies involved in the service users care.

 

Where a person does not have capacity to agree to the arrangements made as part of the Safeguarding Adults procedure, a referral will be made to local advocacy services whether the person is victim or alleged perpetrator, regardless of family and friend involvement.

 

Withdrawal of Consent

 

A service user is entitled to withdraw his/her consent to the sharing of  information and he/she will be made aware that they can exercise this right  and that, should they do so, they will be informed of any potential impact on them.