The Triggers Protocol
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/jap.2010.0292 |
| Pages | 19-27 |
| Date | 26 May 2010 |
| Published date | 26 May 2010 |
| Author | Chris Nash,Dave Shipwright,Mary Smeaton |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
The Journal of Adult Protection Volume 12 Issue 2 • May 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd 19
10.5042/jap.2010.0292
Introduction
The murder of Steven Hoskin in July 2006 was a marker
in Cornwall – a point of reference with which to position
other events. It was not merely the abhorrent roles of those
convicted of his murder and manslaughter, but the fact that
Steven became a frequent user of NHS services when he
discontinued his support from adult social care – his visits to
primary care, including the out of hours service were atypical
for a man with a learning disability. Significantly, Steven
accessed the accident and emergency (A&E) department at
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust via an ambulance three times
in three months. It appears that Steven imitated the behaviour
of Darren Stewart who was convicted of Steven’s murder.
Darren was a prolific and intensive user of emergency services
– making 24 emergency calls to the ambulance service in a
period of 19 months, at least eight of which were to Steven’s
bedsit. Similarly, Darren made 14 emergency calls to the
police within an overlapping 17-month timeframe.
Although we are accustomed to reminders from the
emergency services to be sparing in our use of 999 calls,
Steven’s murder confirmed that he was in the company of
a man whose use of the service was excessive. Furthermore,
although there was a ‘warning marker’ against Darren’s name
indicating that he was dangerous, and that there should be
police attendance when he made emergency calls for an
ambulance, this information was not shared within the NHS
or externally.
‘The [Steven Hoskin] Serious Case Review considered the
‘filters’ through which information was received and addressed by
individual agency personnel. Not all staff receiving and collecting
The Triggers Protocol
Chris Nash
Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Adults, NHS
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Dave Shipwright
Neighbourhood Inspector, Devon and Cornwall
Basic Command Unit, Devon and Cornwall
Police
Mary Smeaton
Safeguarding Manager, South Western
Ambulance Service NHS Trust
key words
Triggers Protocol
,
safeguarding,
harm reduction
abstract
Since the murder of Steven
Hoskin, there have been
considerable changes in the way
that agencies in Cornwall operate.
In order to prevent further tragedies
on such a scale, a protocol was
agreed by the agencies about
when an alert should be triggered
(Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Safeguarding Adults Board, 2008).
This paper describes the process and
implications of the protocol from the
perspective of Devon and Cornwall
Police, South Western Ambulance
Service Trust and Cornwall and
Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust.
The protocol has improved and
encouraged information sharing
within and between agencies, which
will help to identify and reduce the
risks to vulnerable adults.
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Policy and practice paper
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