Concerns over the abuse of adults at risk were discussed at a recent Hammersmith and Fulham council meeting, with a particular focus on an increase in racial abuse directed at healthcare staff.
The Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) presented its annual report for 2024/25 to the Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Accountability Committee. The report detailed the board's efforts to improve professional responses to adults at risk of abuse and neglect.
Fiona Bateman, Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board, highlighted a worrying trend of increased racial abuse towards staff, particularly within GP practices. This rise has been linked to international issues
.
Jim Grealy, a co-opted member of the committee, stressed the need for a strategy to support staff facing such abuse and called for a strong statement on the matter. Victoria Brignell, a co-optee, expressed support for addressing staff abuse and suggested that future events could celebrate staff from diverse backgrounds. Specifically, she proposed that next year's Unity Day place particular emphasis on celebrating staff from all backgrounds and their contributions to the Health and Social Care sector
as a way to support staff.
Councillor Alex Sanderson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Education, acknowledged the concern. He noted that while rising referral numbers might indicate increased confidence in reporting mechanisms, the issue of staff abuse required serious attention.
The committee also discussed the importance of effective information sharing to ensure that abuse is correctly identified and that proactive measures are implemented. Fiona Bateman explained that Safeguarding Adults Reviews examine specific cases to identify abuse and consider preventative actions. These reviews looked into specific cases to ensure that the type of abuse was correctly identified and to consider what proactive measures could have been implemented.
She acknowledged the complexity of the systems involved
in information sharing between different agencies but confirmed that efforts were being made to establish effective information sharing as standard practice across all services.
