More than 50 inquiries into reports of abuse at Shropshire care homes in a year

Charity Age UK has called for a zero-tolerance approach to abuse after "deeply distressing" figures revealed an increase in investigations into maltreatment of elderly people across England.

If councils believe an adult with care and support needs is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, they must carry out what is known as a Section 42 inquiry to determine whether they need to step in.

Telford & Wrekin Council carried out 45 such inquiries at care homes in its area between the beginning of April 2018 and the end of March 2019.

In the same period Shropshire Council completed 10 Section 42 inquiries, data from NHS Digital reveals.

The inquiries – which can also be carried out for suspected abuse occurring in settings like hospitals or a victim's own home – may concern allegations of physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, as well as neglect and substandard care.

In Telford & Wrekin, one in every 113 people aged 85 or over were involved in an inquiry, compared to one in every 4,545 under 65s.

Kevin Moore, director of operations at Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, said: “These figures are very troubling and highlight the importance of all agencies being vigilant in reporting suspected abuse of older people wherever and whenever it occurs."

Caroline Abrahams, director of Age UK, said the figures were "deeply distressing".

She said: "Some older people are being badly let down by a system that has failed to treat them with respect or protect them from abuse and neglect and this urgently needs to change.

"Care homes must adhere to the strict rules and procedures which are devised to help prevent problems such as abuse, poor management and neglect.

"Any abuse, whether neglect, financial manipulation or physical or mental cruelty, is unacceptable and deserves a zero-tolerance approach.

"We would encourage anyone who suspects that someone is being abused to contact their social services department or the police straight away."

Unacceptable

The likelihood of a person aged 85 and over being the subject of an inquiry has also increased across England, rising from one in 43 during 2017-18 to one in 41 last year.

The Care Quality Commission, which inspects and regulates care homes, said it was unacceptable for vulnerable people to experience poor care.

Kate Terroni, chief inspector of adult social care, said: “People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and for their human rights to be protected at all times.

"We know that most people working in caring professions are dedicated and passionate about what they do, but we also know that this is not always the case.

"We will continue to work with providers to encourage them to improve but where this does not happen we will use our enforcement powers in people's best interests and take action when necessary."

Across England, people aged 85 and over were 20 times more likely to be the subject of a Section 42 inquiry than those aged between 18 and 64.

In Telford & Wrekin, one in every 113 people aged 85 or over was involved in an inquiry, compared to one in every 4,545 under 65s.

In the rest of Shropshire, one in every 403 people aged 85 or over was involved in an inquiry, compared to one in every 2,381 under 65s.

Overall, 535 safeguarding concerns were raised about vulnerable adults in Shropshire Council's area during the year, and 160 Section 42 inquiries completed.

In Telford & Wrekin 1,265 safeguarding concerns were raised about vulnerable adults during the year, and 100 Section 42 inquiries completed.

Across England, the number of inquiries into abuse in care homes increased by six per cent compared to the previous year, climbing to 47,535 in 2018-19.

Response

Shropshire Council said it took reports of abuse "very seriously".

Sarah Hollinshead-Bland, Shropshire Council’s service manager for operations in adult social care, said: “Shropshire Council concluded 169 safeguarding inquires last year.

"If we believe an adult with care and support needs is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, we carry out what is known as either a Section 42 inquiry or an ‘other’ safeguarding inquiry, to determine whether we work with the person to make them safe in a way that they want.

“The most common form of inquiry was the domestic abuse of older people. Our national report asks us to identify where abuse was alleged to have happened. 115 allegations were said to have taken place in the person’s own home and 21 in care homes.

"The domestic abuse of older people remains a priority for our Keeping Adults Safe in Shropshire Board.

“The aim of a safeguarding inquiry is to work with the person to identify how they would like to be kept safe and support them to act accordingly. It is a complex area of the council’s work.

“We work closely with the Care Quality Commission (the regulator of adult social care services) to tackle issues with providers at an early stage with the aim of preventing problems from occurring.

"According to the outcome of inspections, the overwhelming majority of services in Shropshire are at least good and we have an increasing number of providers achieving the standard of outstanding.

“Shropshire Council takes its duties to protect Shropshire citizens from abuse very seriously."

She advised anyone with concerns to "talk to the person (if possible) to see what they think and find out what they want to happen".

"If you are still concerned, call us at First Point of contact on 0345 678 9044," she added.

Telford & Wrekin Council spokesman Russell Griffin said: "We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and if anyone is aware of a vulnerable person who needs help they should contact Family Connect on 01952 385385.”