Safeguarding adults: perspectives from primary care trusts in Kent and Medway

Abstract

Adult protection has been a relatively recent concept for staff working within the health economy. Priorities have focused on raising awareness, developing an understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, challenging established practices and attitudes and embedding the concept within the culture of NHS organizations and the daily work of staff at all levels. Although social services have the lead for safeguarding activities (Department of Health, 2000), statutory health bodies have now begun to integrate their adult protection activities more effectively and positively with social services and the police. This paper reviews the journey undertaken by the three primary care trusts (PCTs) in Kent and Medway in developing adult protection expertise and sharing multi‐agency adult protection practice with both social services and the police. The three safeguarding vulnerable adults leads from the PCTs have joined together to look at how far we have come and what we still need to achieve.