New “If you see something, say something” campaign urges people in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly to speak out to prevent the abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults
Everyone in Cornwall needs to speak out if they see vulnerable adults being abused and neglected.
This is the message to members of the public and staff in public agencies from organisations involved with safeguarding vulnerable adults in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as part of a new campaign which is being staged next week to coincide with World Elder Abuse Day on 15 June and Learning Disability Awareness Week.
Last year Cornwall Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Peninsula Community Health and the independent and voluntary sector urged members of the public and staff in public agencies to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This followed the launch of the successful 2012 multi-agency “If you see something, say something” campaign.
This year the focus is on preventing abuse and neglect.
Last year there were more than 1000 new safeguarding adult referrals in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Of these referrals, 200 related to people with learning disabilities, 100 related to people with mental health issues and 250 were for people over 85 years old. This includes allegations of physical abuse (30%), emotional abuse (26%), neglect (25%), financial abuse (11%) and sexual abuse (6%).
“Everyone has the right to live their lives free from violence, fear and abuse” said Jim McKenna, Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Care. “Agencies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are working hard to prevent vulnerable adults from being abused and neglected and we need the public to join with us to help achieve our aim”.
A key theme of this year’s campaign is raising awareness of the support which is being provided to improve the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities in Cornwall. A report published last year* found that people with learning disabilities are more likely to have a premature death than those in the general population.
Researchers found that men with learning disabilities died, on average, 13 years sooner than men in the general population, while women with learning disabilities died, on average, 20 years sooner than women in the general population. Overall, 22 per cent of the people with learning disabilities were under the age of 50 when they died, compared with just nine per cent of people in the general population.
‘While it is vital to protect people when abuse occurs we also need to work together to prevent abuse and neglect from happening in the first place” said Rob Cooper, Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Adults Board. “The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of the issue among members of the public. We need people to look out for their relatives, friends and neighbours and report anything which gives them cause for concern”.
There are a number of successful projects and initiatives already taking place in Cornwall which are helping to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable adults.
These include the Time4Change project which employs people with a learning disability to act as trainers and deliver training and awareness raising activities across Cornwall to lots of different people and lots of different organisations.
Mark Lindsey-Hall, one of the Time4Change trainers, says "I felt it was important to be involved in the Time4Change programme after I was subjected to abuse whilst walking in town. Think of someone who is not a `freak` and is very hard working. People with a disability have rights to go into towns and to walk anywhere they choose. My view is that friends of mine have information on who to contact for safeguarding issues. I do this to show people that they have rights in towns or city centres."
Other positive initiatives include the three Acute Liaison Nurses who work at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust. These staff support patients with learning disabilities and their families throughout their hospital experience.
Recent real life examples of how they have helped patients’ at the RCHT over the last twelve months include a patient with autism who refused to take off his hat and socks to go to the operating theatre. After spending time with the patient it was clear that he was not going to remove this clothing as they made him feel safe at a vulnerable time. The Acute Liaison Nurse supported the theatre staff to make reasonable adjustments to allow the patient to keep his clothes until he was asleep.
In another case the Acute Liaison Nurse arranged for a patient living in a supported living environment who did not want to attend hospital because of part negative experiences to make a series of desensitisation visits to help reduce his anxiety by enabling him to become more familiar with the equipment and staff before his appointment. These types of interventions help to ensure that people with learning disabilities or autism to receive vital medical treatment.
The week long campaign will include posters at council buildings, hospitals, GP surgeries, libraries and one stop shops, schools and police stations. There will also be an opportunity to watch the ‘say no to abuse’ DVD on the websites of the Council and health partners.
You can see all of the examples, stories and the Say No to Abuse DVD on our website www.cornwall.gov.uk/safeguardingadults
Notes to editors
* The Confidential inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities (CIPOLD) report was funded by the Department of Health
There are a number of different kinds of abuse. These include:
• Physical abuse, which can include being hit or slapped, being given the wrong medication on purpose, being locked in or force fed.
• Neglect, which can include not looking after someone who is dependent properly by failing to provide access to health, social care or educational services or deliberatively withholding food, drink or medication.
• Psychological abuse, which can range from emotional abuse and physical cruelty, threats, verbal abuse, bullying and harassment to deliberately isolating someone from their friends and family or withdrawing their services or support
• Sexual abuse, which can include being touched or kissed when it is not wanted, being made to touch or kiss someone else, being raped, being made to listen to sexual comments or forced to look at sexual acts, or materials.
• Discriminatory abuse, including racist, sexist, or abuse based in a person‘s disability, and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment
• Financial abuse, including taking someone’s money without permission, forcing them to spend their money against their wishes or pressuring them to change their wills
• Institutional abuse, including neglect or poor professional practice in a health or social care setting, ranging from an isolated incident of poor or unsatisfactory professional practice to pervasively treatment or gross misconduct.
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Adults Board were established in December 2005. The SAB is the key strategic body that oversees the safeguarding of vulnerable adults in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The SAB includes senior representation from all partner agencies, including statutory
bodies, independent providers and the voluntary and community sector. The aims of the board are:
• To minimise the risk of abuse to vulnerable adults and to protect vulnerable adults effectively where abuse has occurred or may have occurred.
• To ensure Multi-agency partners work effectively together to develop and implement Safeguarding Adults strategies, policies and procedures.
The Safeguarding adults website: www.cornwall.gov.uk/safeguardingadults contains details of policies, procedures, training, reports, publicity leaflets etc.
Photo: European Parliament Flickr