Safeguarding Adults Procedures

30 These Procedures specify the need for an NE. This role could be undertaken by a person who is already involved with the adult or has been asked to become involved in an enquiry. Any conflict of interest issues must be considered before identifying a Nominated Enquirer. Examples of conflict of interests, where it may be better for an independent person to be appointed to undertake Enquiries, are a family run business where institutional abuse is alleged or where the manager/owner of a service is implicated or may be biased. The person/s appointed therefore can be drawn from a very wide field as the following list demonstrates;  Keyworker  Local Authority employee  Employer  Care Manager  Care Co-ordinator  Professional Advocate, e.g. IMHA/IMCA/IDVA  Care Worker/Agency/Other Providers in a person’s life  Police Officer  Contracts Monitoring  Community Safety Officer/ASBO  CCG  Health Care Professionals, i.e. Ward staff/GP/Nurse  Housing officer  Support workers There may be other options. As previously noted, it is also possible that in some circumstances the NE will also be the SAP. There may be more than one NE involved in the enquiry. There always needs to be a suitable healthcare professional to undertake enquiries about any medical issues. These Enquiries may constitute a professional opinion or additional assessment or they may form part of the formal enquiry process, i.e. examining records etc. Local Authority staff must contact the Safeguarding Adult lead in the relevant NHS organisation and will not directly approach any other NHS staff about undertaking this role. The NHS Safeguarding Lead will, when allocating the role, want to make sure it minimises the potential conflict of interest by appointing a Nominated Enquirer who is most appropriately placed to undertake it. The NE must agree actions with the SAP or the EM before taking this on and will consider any cultural or language needs, including the provision of an advocate/interpreter. Specific responsibilities of the Nominated Enquirer (NE) The specific role will be determined at the EPM by the EM or the SAP through discussions with the relevant agency as the enquiry proceeds. The responsibilities may include:  Talking to the adult or witnesses  Gathering information from records held by their agency, case notes, financial records  Alerting the Police to any actions they may need to take about preservation of records.  Preserving evidence  Reviewing and undertaking physical/mental health assessments as required.  To report gaps in the provision of care or in recording.  Contribute to risk assessment  Reporting on elements of the safeguarding plan and taking specific responsibility for any agreed actions.  Provide information regarding their own area of expertise, e.g. medication management  Provide historical information, e.g. previous reports  Provide verbal updates to the SAP/EM The Nominated Enquirer