Collaborating across health and social care: joint funding an adult protection Coordinator post in Caerphilly, UK
| Date | 13 April 2015 |
| Pages | 139-147 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-06-2014-0020 |
| Published date | 13 April 2015 |
| Author | Andrea Giordano,Alison Neville |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection |
Collaborating across health and social
care: joint funding an adult protection
Coordinator post in Caerphilly, UK
Andrea Giordano and Alison Neville
Andrea Giordano is a Service
Manager – Safeguarding,
based at Caerphilly County
Borough Council, Cardiff, UK.
Alison Neville is a Senior Nurse
for CHC & Safeguarding,
based at Aneurin Bevan
University Health Board,
Gwent, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to improve the consistency and quality of the responseto vulnerable
adults who experience abuse and neglect within NHS, independent healthcare and social care settings is
noted by practitioners, agencies and patients. Health and social care policy frameworks promote principles
of service improvement and consistency, along with a focus on outcomes and resource effectiveness
and interagency collaboration. The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) coordinator role carries
the responsibility of coordinating a response to individual referrals of abuse and neglect as described as part
of the Designated Lead Manager role in the Wales Interim POVA Policy and Procedures for the POVA from
abuse (Wales Adult Protection Coordinators Group, 2013).
Design/methodology/approach – This paper will explore the benefits realised througha registered nurse
being seconded from the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board into a newly created joint adult protection
Health Coordinator post within the Caerphilly County Borough Council social services department POVA team.
Findings – This is the first example of such partnership working in adult protection in Wales and has
provided a number of benefits in relation to: providing adult protection advice; coordinating the response to
referrals of vulnerable adult abuse and neglect within health and social care settings; carrying out or
buddying others to complete adult protection investigations; facilitating the two day non-criminal POVA
investigation training course and, awareness raising within the local Health Board. The development of a
student nurse placement in the social services POVA team cements the multiagencycollaborative approach
that this development sought to achieve.
Originality/value – The need to improve the consistency and quality of the response to vulnerable adults
who experience abuse and neglect within NHS, independent healthcare and social care settings is noted by
practitioners, agencies and patients.
Keywords Collaboration, Health, Social care, Safeguarding, Protection, Improvement
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Caerphilly CountyBorough Council social services department has a well-established Protection
of Vulnerable Adult (POVA) team which was recognised during inspection (Care and Social
ServicesInspectorate Wales, 2010,pp. 1-4) to have worked hard to makethe POVA a strong and
high qualityservice [y] aspires to continuousimprovement [y] a constructiveculture of regularly
reviewing the effectiveness of procedures and guidance.
As part of the continuous improvement strategy the POVA team has built on the success of
exchanging skills and knowledge through its previous use of a structured rolling secondment,
whereby, experienced assessment and care managers moved into one of the five posts in the
POVA team for a six-month period. This practice supported the continued integration of adult
protection into assessment and care management practice and was beneficial to both the
POVA team and to the respective assessment and care management teams.
DOI 10.1108/JAP-06-2014-0020 VOL. 17 NO. 2 2015, pp. 139-147, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAGE 139
To continue reading
Request your trial