Lorna Quigley, Director of Quality & Patient Safety Wirral Health and Care Commission introduced the Annual Report of the Merseyside Safeguarding Adults Board (MSAB) that provided an overview of the work undertaken by the MSAB, its memberships and terms of reference.

Ms Quigley updated the Committee on the work of the MASB established in April 2017 and how it consisted of 4 Local Authority areas (Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley and Wirral). She further informed that Core Duties with the Care Act 2014 required the MSAB to:

• Publish a Strategic Plan;
• Arrange safeguarding Adult review in line with S44 of ‘The Act’; and
• Publish an Annual Report.

Ms Quigley further informed that the adult population across the geographical areas of Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral (who made up the MSAB) was approximately 983,970 and that Sefton and Wirral had the highest numbers of residents aged 85+ and an adult population of 255,090.

Members were apprised of the MSAB achievements in 2018/19 that included - Voices project (service user and frontline practitioner); Establishment of a Single SARS process; Self neglect guidance for professionals; and National Safeguarding week. Members also received an update on the priorities for 2019/20 that included a peer review in January 2020 - to review the effectiveness of the board and continuation of the ‘Voices’ project.

Ms Quigley informed Members of the complexities relating to reporting of types of abuse apprising Members of increase in the reporting of abuse but a decrease in reported levels of Domestic Violence. Work was continuing in an effort to ‘unpick’ these statistics – an element of which related to the inclusion of property damage as part of the crime reporting clasifications.

Another area of increase included that of financial abuse – again affected by more detailed classifications and assessment which included changes to individuals living conditions, inability to pay bills, and changes to signatures and wills.

Members were also apprised of examples of psychological abuse – now coming under more scrutiny – and as such provided a new concept in the recording and mapping of this category of abuse, including its relationship to neglect. Identification of symptoms included fires/hoarding which had led to deaths. Such examples had come about as a result of increased referrals from healthcare workers and were often taking place in and individuals own home, by people known to victim. Other areas of work involved investigations into sexual exploitation – which can now involve social media.

The Chair stated that 3 areas had already been identified by the Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee as priorities for review, namely: domestic violence (subject of a report to the next meeting of the Committee); people affected by county lines and gangs use of vulnerable people (workshop); and modern day slavery – where the Local Authority is often the first responder. The Chair added that in the instance of Care Homes having been classed as inadequate – why was this too not classed as a safeguarding issue for all residents.

The Chair thanked the Director of Quality & Patient Safety Wirral Health and Care Commission for her report.

Resolved – That the report be noted.