A report presenting the Committee with the Reading Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report for 2022/23.

The Committee received a report introducing the Reading Borough Council Safeguarding Adults Annual Report 2022/23. The report would be appended to the West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board’s (SAB) Annual Report which was attached as appendix 2 to the report.

Susan Ross, Assistant Director for Safeguarding, Quality, Performance and Practice explained that Reading Borough Council was the host for the strategic partnership arrangement between Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham.  This formed the basis of the West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board operating across the three local authorities along with the other statutory partners in Health and the Police. The Board manager was supported by services in Reading including some administration, IT, payroll etc and line managed by the Assistant Director (Safeguarding, Quality and Practice). The Board was led by an Independent Chair who worked closely with the Board manager as an independent safeguarding expert.

The Council also had a Safeguarding Adults Team (SAT) who undertook the role of initial triage of concerns and referrals, decision making as to whether Care Act duties were required to be assessed, signposting to other services where required, and determining whether to initiate a section 42 (s42) enquiry to determine how to safeguard an individual at risk. Where an individual was already known the s42 would be referred on to the relevant team to carry out the section 42 but if the referral was not previously known, the team would carry out s42 enquiries.

A summary of the Council’s Safeguarding Performance Data was set out in the report and included the following:

·         2374 Safeguarding Concerns had been received in 2022/23 which was a decrease since the previous year;

·         Concerns which converted into a safeguarding enquiry were 18% compared with 13% in the previous year.  It was noted that the national average was 33.9%;

·         41% of safeguarding concerns were from ‘Health’ staff which was a rise of 2.4% over the year;

·         A majority of enquiries related to the 65+ age group which accounted for 57% of the enquiries, compared to 61% in the previous year;

·         85.5% of individuals involved in s42 enquiries for 2022/23 were of a ‘White’ ethnicity with the next biggest groups being ‘Black or Black British’ (6.7%) and ‘Asian or Asian British’ (6.1%);

·         37.4% of individuals had a Primary Support Reasons of ‘Physical Support’ although this had seen a decrease in its proportion of 8.9% over the year;

·         The most common types of abuse were for ‘Neglect and Acts of Omission’ 41.2%, ‘Financial or Material Abuse’ 18.9% and ‘Self Neglect’ 18.9%;

·         68.5% of enquiries where alleged abused had taken place had been in the individuals ‘Own Home’;

·         There had been three enquiries relating to modern day slavery. It was reported that in February 2023 ‘Operation Rivermead’ had been launched in response to allegations of possible modern-day slavery. This had concluded in November 2023 and lessons learned would be the basis of continuing focus in 2023/24.

·         The biggest source of risk was for individuals was from people within their own homes;

The report set out achievements including work being undertaken around hoarding and self-neglect cases, work with safeguarding and care providers around fire safety awareness and knowledge, training being provided on the Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS).

It was noted that financial abuse was a category of safeguarding and enquiries were investigated when reported. 

Timescales to deal with reporting of enquiries were available on the West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board website.  However, there had been difficulties in meeting these timescales due to staff shortages.

Resolved -

(1)          That the Reading Safeguarding Adults Annual Report 22/23 be endorsed;

(2)          That the Reading Safeguarding Adults Annual Report 22/23 be published and appended to the West of Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2022/23.