Quality and safety standards

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults and children is everybody’s business. All staff in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust have a duty to report abuse or concerns they have or are made aware of. All reports are taken seriously and treated confidentially. 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust Safeguarding Declaration

This declaration represents assurance from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (HWHCT) Board of arrangements that are in place to ensure that children and adults at risk of harm, who come into contact with the Trust either directly, or as a family member of one of our patients, are safeguarded from harm.

Recruiting and Maintaining a Safe Workforce

Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 HWHCT complies with requirements of the Home Office Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in order to ensure that appropriate level of pre-employment checks are carried out during the recruitment process particularly those engaging in Regulated Activity[1].

HWHCT also ensures appropriate referrals are made to DBS if the Trust has dismissed or removed a person from working with children or adults at risk (or would or may have if the person had not left or resigned etc.) because the person has behaved in a way that may have caused harm.

Policies and Procedures

HWHCT has Safeguarding Children and Adults Policies that are reviewed in line with new national or local policy and legislative requirements.

HWHCT has a defaulted appointments policy for managing defaulted appointments where there maybe safeguarding concerns for children and/or Adults at Risk.

Safeguarding Incidents identified within the Trust are reported on the Trust’s incident reporting system.

Training

Safeguarding Children and Adults Training is mandatory for ALL staff who work within the Trust. All new staff receive a safeguarding briefing on the Trust induction programme which is also mandatory for all staff and must be undertaken on the first day of their employment with the Trust. Provision has also been made for volunteers through induction or workbooks.

The on-going development of staff related to safeguarding training levels that must be achieved, depends on the nature of the work that staff are undertaking within the Trust.

Safeguarding Staffing

There is a nominated Director at Board level (Director of Nursing and Quality) with responsibility for safeguarding. The Deputy Director of Nursing also has safeguarding in her portfolio. The Trust has a Designated Doctor for Safeguarding in post as well as several Named Doctors who are Consultant Community paediatricians.

The Trust has an Integrated Safeguarding Team which comprises of a Safeguarding Services Lead, a Team Manager, and Named Nurses to ensure that all staff within the Trust receive the required advice, support, supervision and training in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk. This is supported by an administrative manager and staff.

The Trust has an Integrated Safeguarding Committee, which reports quarterly to the Quality and Safety Committee; it has representatives from all of the Trusts Service Delivery Units and the Clinical Commissioning Groups as members and meetings are held monthly.  An annual safeguarding report is presented to the Trust Board.

Collaborative Working 

HWHCT is represented on Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board, Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, Worcestershire Strategic Forum Against Domestic Abuse and all of their respective subgroups to ensure comprehensive partnership working. The Integrated Safeguarding Team is based within Worcestershire Safeguarding Hub, aiding information exchange and risk assessment between partners.