Learn Outcome P1

George Mukarakate
QCF Level 5 Diploma
Unit 514
Learning Outcome. Be able to lead service provision that protects vulnerable adults
Promote service provision that supports vulnerable adults to assess risks and make informed choices
Safeguarding vulnerable adults involves a range of measures to protect people in the most vulnerable circumstances. The government has published a series of policies and reports focused on achieving good outcomes in safeguarding vulnerable adults. The aim of these policies is to prevent and reduce the risk of serious harm to vulnerable adults from abuse and other types of exploitation, whilst helping individuals to maintain control over their own lives, and to make informed choices without coercion. The Statement of Government Policy on Adult Safeguarding published in May 2011, sets out the government’s vision for improving vulnerable adults safeguarding services. It is based on achieving local service provision and outcome focused practice. The statement sets out 6 principles for benchmarking adult safeguarding arrangements: empowerment; protection; prevention; proportionality; partnership; and accountability.
Furthermore, in March 2011 the Department of Health published a series of safeguarding guidelines titled Safeguarding Adults: The Role of Health Services. These documents provide best practice principles for preventing and responding to neglect and abuse and focusing on patients in the most vulnerable situations.
The specific choices available to a person will depend on the eligibility criteria for each service, but the baseline is that all people are supported to access information about the options that are open to them. The most relevant aspect of mental capacity is that of understanding and making decisions about safety from abuse and neglect. Making this decision includes having information about what is taking place, the harm that it may cause and the options that are open to stop abuse or neglect, or to reduce harm. It includes weighing up that information and communicating the decision. Everyone has a right to follow a course of action that others judge to be unwise or eccentric, including one which may lead to them being abused. Where a person chooses to live with a risk of abuse the safeguarding plan should include access to services that help minimise the risk. It is clear that any safeguarding action should usually be taken in consultation with the adults concerned, and that it should be taken in a manner that does not take over their own choices or decision making. It is also important that decisions made at any one time are not taken to be irrevocable and non-negotiable. Action must ensure that when adults with mental capacity take decisions to remain in abusive situations, they do so without intimidation, with an understanding of the risks involved and have access to appropriate services if they should they change their mind.

An incident I referred to Safeguarding Team/CQC for further investigation.
In March 2014, when I worked as a Care Coordinator with my former employer I received a fast track request to cover a Service User who was facing end of life from Continuing Health Commission. I requested for all the Service User’s details including his condition to be emailed in order to brief the Care Worker who as going to cover the waking night sit. It was our usual norm that most fast track packages can only be assessed the following day after having send a Care Worker with all the experience to do initial assessment as the Service User would have request to come out of hospital at short notice.
I managed to cover the waking night by one of our Care Worker whom I am going to call MB for the purpose of this report. MB was one of the regular waking night- sitter who usually covered the Stoke Golding area. I had a telephone conversation with Care Worker confirming the booking i.e. name of Service User, age, address, starting and finishing time and brief condition as supported with the paperwork that I had already emailed to her. I advised the Care Worker as usual to ring the client’s wife in case she was getting lost or ring the office as per normal routine. I had already advised Service User- BJ’s wife the Care Worker who was booked for the night sit and what time to expect her. Stoke Golding is a village area in the south of Nuneaton and it can be a bit tricky when it comes to having mobile phone network. I had pre-warned Care Worker to make sure she has satellite navigation since she was going to a new place.
I left the office around 17.30 hrs. on the same Friday , after emailing my handover to the staff On Call who were going to be In Charge of the branch over the week end. I had also mentioned about BJ’s new package and all the bookings accessible to the On Call Staff in our system. On a Saturday morning when I visited the office, I was surprised to hear from the On Call Staff that BJ had passed away and the Care Worker who was booked had not turned up.
Upon receiving the message, I rang and apologise to BJ’s wife who was not pleased with the service. I rang Care Worker MB to report to the office on Monday and submit a statement. MB mentioned in her statement that she lost reception on both, mobile and satellite navigation when she approached the area and she could not find anyone to ask as it was too dark. She further mentioned that when she drove some miles away in order to ring the client and office. When she got the reception she rang the office number twice without any response, subsequently her mobile run out of battery and she had to go home. MB never made any effort the On Call who are on duty after hours when she got home which sounded questionable to me.
Taking into account the missed waking night without substantial reason from the Care Worker resulting in getting Mrs BJ’s stressed as she was not prepared to face her husband dying , I had to suspend MB from the care duties whilst my statement and hers regarding the incident were forwarded to CQC for further investigation and recommendation.
Summary
-MB received her first warning from the organisation and no referral to DBS as recommended by CQC
- It was a learning point for the organisation to put measures like CM2000 call monitoring system which would have send an alert to the On Call advising no care staff had turned up.
-Educate the clients’ family members to ring office number if care worker do not turn up within 15minutes of shift commencement.
-Improve the after-hours call manning as we had received a number of complaints from care staff and service users about office line not being answered.
-Supplying maps and torch to care staff who goes for night.
Outcome :
Advise client’s wife and care worker of the outcome. Revisit and update the policies and procedures any recommendations to improve the services.