Our Vision

It is the statutory responsibility of every NHS-funded organisation and every health care professional working in the NHS to ensure that the principles and duties of safeguarding adults and children are holistically, consistently, and conscientiously applied to ensure that wellbeing is at the heart of all that we do.

NHS Gloucestershire, as an NHS body, is under a duty to ensure that, in discharging its functions, it has regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of adults and children.

With the responsibility to commission safe services through a robust process, NHS Gloucestershire needs to assure itself that the organisations from which they commission have effective safeguarding arrangements in place. As such, commissioning standards are clearly set out by NHS Gloucestershire, and all contract Providers must demonstrate compliance (and Duty to Cooperate) to Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 and the Care Act 2014.

We work with health providers and partners to ensure commissioned services have regard for our duty to protect and safeguard against abuse, neglect, discrimination, embarrassment, or poor treatment. Safeguarding includes protecting individual human rights and treating people with dignity and respect.

Our vision builds on the premise that safeguarding must be ‘core’ within the business of health. We acknowledge and understand that safeguarding is frequently nuanced and complex. Safeguarding requires both immediate protection for the most vulnerable alongside proactive and preventative engagement and care from health colleagues. Our vision aligns with NHS Gloucestershire’s wider vision of improved health and wellbeing through ‘Joined up care and communities’ and reflects the organisation’s key values and behaviours.

Our Safeguarding and Children in Care annual reports are available on the ICB publications page.

The team

NHS Gloucestershire works in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies to safeguard children and adults, enhancing health and well-being and protecting the rights of those who are most vulnerable in Gloucestershire.  NHS Gloucestershire has well established and strong working relationships across both the Adult Safeguarding Board and Safeguarding Children Partnership.

NHS Gloucestershire employs statutory Safeguarding and Children in Care roles with the expertise of Designated Doctors and Nurses for Safeguarding Adults, Children, Children in Care, and our Designated Doctor for Child Death.  In addition, we work closely with the joint NHS Gloucestershire and Local Authority lead for the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

These roles enables us to work across the Local Health Community providing both clinical and strategic leadership for safeguarding and acting as a vital source of advice and support to NHS Gloucestershire and the local authority.

Who’s who

Melanie Munday
Associate Director Integrated Safeguarding
Dr Michelle Sharma
Designated Doctor, Safeguarding Children
Liz Emmerson
Designated Nurse, Safeguarding Children
Samantha O’Malley
Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Adults
Dr Katy McIntosh
Named GP, Safeguarding Adults and Children
Dr Isi Sosa
Designated Doctor, Children in Care
Pauline Edwards
Designated Nurse, Children in Care (CiC)
Jo Bridgeman
Specialist Nurse, Safeguarding Adults and Children
Simon Thomason
Lead for Mental Capacity Act (joint for NHS Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire County Council)
Jacqui Harber
Safeguarding Support Officer
Helen Hopkins
Children in Care & Safeguarding Administrator

Contact the team by email. Please note all our Safeguarding Dr roles and Designated Nurse CIC work part time.

Children in Care

Children in care (Looked after Children) are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Research shows they often have poorer health outcomes than children who have not been in care.

Parents want their children to have the best start in life, to be healthy and happy and to reach their full potential. As corporate parents, those involved in providing local authority services for the children they look after (including health services) should have the same high aspirations and ensure the children receive the care and support they need to thrive.

The NHS has a major role in ensuring the timely and effective delivery of health services to children in care. The NHS has a statutory duty to cooperate with the local authority to protect and promote the health and well being of the children in local authority care and care experienced adults. The NHS does this in three ways; by commissioning effective health services, delivering through provider organisations and co-ordinating health care for individual children. This includes children in care placed in Gloucestershire by other local authorities.

If you need to inform NHS Gloucestershire that you are placing a Looked after Child in Gloucestershire, please email glicb.childrenincare@nhs.net

More information for other local authorities placing children in care in Gloucestershire can be found here: Out of Area Children in Care Notifications England | ADCS

Safeguarding Accountability and Leadership

The Accountable Officer has ultimate accountability for Safeguarding. NHS Gloucestershire’s Executive Nurse is the Responsible Officer for Safeguarding. The Associate Director, Designated Professionals and Named GP take a strategic and professional lead for Safeguarding in Gloucestershire. There is a clearly defined reporting structure supporting our safeguarding work.

Safeguarding training and recruitment

NHS Gloucestershire follow Safer Recruitment principles for all roles. All staff have undertaken mandatory training in both children and adult safeguarding relevant to their role and responsibility and in line with the adult, children, and children in care Intercollegiate Guidance. This ensures the workforce have the necessary knowledge and skills to support the safeguarding process.

Safeguarding Children – how to report a concern:

If you are worried or concerned about anyone under 18 who you think is being abused or neglected, or that a child and their family need help and support, please contact:

The MASH
Tel: 01452 426565
Email: childrenshelpdesk@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Outside of office hours (5pm-9am Mon-Fri/weekends), you should contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT):

Tel: 01452 614194

If you think someone is breaking the law phone the police on 101 or in an emergency always dial 999.

If you are unsure about referring into Allegations Management please contact the AM team:

Tel: 01452 426320
Alt: 01452 426994

To refer to the Allegations Management Referral Process flowchart click here.

Allegation Management referrals are submitted using the word document referral form which can be found by clicking here.

Contact details for any responses: Amadmin@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

Safeguarding Adults – how to report a concern

Information that would be helpful includes:

  • Why you are concerned
  • The name, age and address of the adult at risk
  • If anyone lives with them
  • If they are getting help from any organisation
  • Who may be causing the abuse

Don’t delay in reporting the abuse, even if you are not sure about some of these details.

If you think someone is breaking the law phone the police on 101 or in an emergency always dial 999.

Safeguarding Adults processes and further advice can be sought by accessing the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Adults Board (GSAB) website. A Guide To: Recognising and Responding to Abuse

Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence

RCGP Guidance on recording of domestic violence and abuse information in general practice medical records can be found here.

Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence (DASH) 2018 Risk Assessment Form can be found here.

Further information about the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) can be found here.

GDASS, Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service:

Self-referral for free and confidential advice please contact www.gdass.org.uk to make an online referral or contact the GDASS helpdesk service:

Tel: 01452 426570 (Mon-Fri 9-5pm)
Email: support@gdass.org.uk
Professional advice line: 01452 726561

Please note there is also a service which provides a programme for perpetrators:

Website: FearLess – Local Support for Domestic Abuse (fear-less.org.uk)
Tel: 01452 529866
Email: PRGgloucester@fear-less.org.uk

Emotional Support Services for survivors of Rape, Sexual Assault and Childhood Sexual Abuse

Hope House Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Gloucestershire Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (GRASAC), Gloucestershire Counselling Service (GCS) & TICplus (TIC+) Partnership are working together to provide counselling and emotional support to children and young people, families and adults via a self-referral route. This pathway offers a range of potential options to support mental health and emotional wellbeing needs.

Prevent

Prevent is part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people becoming terrorists.  It is a multi-agency approach to safeguard people at risk of radicalisation.

By sending this form you consent for it to arrive with both your dedicated Local Authority safeguarding team & Prevent policing team for a joint assessment. Wherever possible we aim to give you feedback on your referral, please be aware, however, that this is not always possible due to data-protection & other case sensitivities.

Once you have completed this form, please email it to Prevent@gloucestershire.pnn.police.uk

If you have any questions whilst filling in the form, please call: ​01452 754319​.

FGM

NHS organisations have a statutory duty to report any incident of female genital mutilation (FGM) against a child.

More information on FGM on GOV.UK.

The duty does not apply in an adult over 18. An interagency response will be offered to signpost the woman to services and a safeguarding risk assessment will be undertaken to consider any children who may be at risk or have had FGM.