Safeguarding
What you need to know
Safeguarding means supporting people to feel safe at home, protecting children, young people and adults at risk from abuse or neglect.
Harm can occur anywhere, not just at home. Therefore, the Trust is committed to protecting the safety and welfare of children and adults at risk of harm or abuse. It is their right to be kept safe from harm, abuse or neglect.
Why it is important
Everyone at the Trust has a responsibility for safeguarding. If you are worried about the safety or welfare of a child or adult at risk of harm or abuse, you can talk to the ward manager, senior sister or matron or use the following contact numbers to share your concerns:
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Safeguarding Teams
If you wish to speak to someone at the hospital about safeguarding, please contact:
- Adults team - 0113 2066964
- Children's team - contact via hospital switchboard 0113 2433144
The teams are available from 8.30 am—4.30 pm Monday to Friday
At all other times, please telephone the Clinical Site Manager via the hospital switchboard on 01132433144.
Contacting Adult Social Care
If you are a member of the public and are concerned about an adult at risk of abuse, please call Adult Social Care on 0113 2224401 between 8.30 am-5 pm or the Emergency Duty Team (out of hours): 0113 2409536
Further information is available on the Leeds Safeguarding Adults website
Contacting the Police
If someone is in imminent danger, ring 999. If a crime has been committed, but there is no immediate danger, ring 101.
Safeguarding Children and Young People
The Children Act 1989 and 2004 makes it a legal duty for Leeds Teaching Hospital staff to protect all children under 18 including the unborn from the risk of significant harm. The Children and Midwifery Safeguarding Team and LTHT staff are guided by the following key principles of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018:
- Protecting children from all forms of abuse and neglect
- Preventing harm to children’s health and development
- Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes
- Providing early help support as soon as a problem begins at any point in a child’s life
- Safeguarding children is everybody’s responsibility
- Children and families are best supported and protected when everybody works together.
The Trust has a Named Nurse, Named Midwife, Named Doctor and a team of Safeguarding Children Nurse Advisors who support and advise staff with concerns related to child protection, safeguarding and Early Help support for families.
If you are a member of the public and are concerned that a child or young person under 18 is at risk of abuse or neglect, please report this immediately to Children Social Work Services on: 0113 2224403 between 9am - 5pm.
If you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999 out of office hours (evenings, weekends and bank holidays).
Further information is available on the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) website: LSCP - Concerned about a Child)
Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
The Trust has a Named Professional, Nurse Specialists and Nurse Advisors for Safeguarding Adults at Risk.
Abuse may consist of single or repeated actions and may include:
- Discrimination
- Domestic Abuse
- Emotional/Psychological
- Financial
- Modern Slavery
- Neglect
- Organisational
- Physical
- Self-neglect
- Sexual
If you are over 18 years of age and have care and support needs - for example you are frail, have a learning or physical disability or long-term illness, a mental health condition or substance dependency, and feel you are being abused or are at risk of abuse from another person, you can seek help to stay safe.
There are now 3 routine questions that are part of every clinician's assessment and is part of the Nursing Specialist Assessment for every patient who attends the Trust.
These are:
- Do you feel safe at home?
- Is anyone hurting, controlling or making you feel scared at home?
- Do you want help?
