Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Annual Report 2024/25

Our performance 2024/25

The GSAB will ensure there is a comprehensive dataset and dashboard which includes data from partners. Themes and trends are identified through the data presented and the board will take steps to address these.

During 2024/25, the GSAB Business Unit, in collaboration with the Local Authority Performance Team, has made significant improvements in enhancing the quality and accessibility of assurance data presented to the Board on a quarterly basis.

A key development has been the migration of LA safeguarding data to Power BI, enabling more robust interrogation of data to identify emerging trends and themes.

The assurance dashboard now incorporates partner data, strengthening oversight and enabling constructive challenge. Engagement from GSAB members in data analysis has increased, supporting a more informed and collaborative approach.

Volume of concerns and enquiries

For a concern to progress to a Section 42 enquiry it must meet the statutory criteria. The safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:

Has needs for care and support (whether the local authority is meeting any of those needs).
Is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect.
As a result of those care and support need is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

In 2024/25 there were 2311 (per 100,000 population) Safeguarding Adult Concerns which led to 386 (per 100,000 population) Section 42 Safeguarding Enquiries.

A slight fall in concerns in 24/25 are reflective of changes in some recording practice to avoid multiple concerns raised for the same incident. Gateshead S42 enquiries are in line with national and statistical neighbours' averages but are significantly lower than regional averages. This shows Gateshead have a low conversation rate for S42 enquiries and a significant volume of concerns do not meet statutory duty.

Demographics

In the past 2 years Gateshead has aligned to national averages for the proportion of concerns by age. Data shows the increase in concerns in recent years has related to working age people.
Gateshead's gender profile is aligned to national and regional statistics showing on average 57% of S42 enquiries relate to females.
Gateshead's data shows a small increase year on year in the number of S42 enquiries relating to males

Primary support reason

In 23/24 we did not report Primary Support Reason as part of the Safeguarding Adults Collection (SAC) in accordance with the statutory guidance.
This highlighted the significant change in recording of "No Support Reason" in 24/25
Guidance states where a person is not in receipt of commissioned services then "No Support Reason" should be recorded.
The data shows more concerns are being referred where people do not receive services.

Category of abuse

Gateshead data is consistent with national data for categories of abuse
In the past 2 years Gateshead has seen rises in Financial or Material Abuse, Domestic Abuse and Self-Neglect

Location of abuse

In the past 2 years the proportion of S42 enquiries in care homes has fallen but aligns to national averages
Gateshead has higher-than-average rates of abuse occurring in people's own homes. This reflects earlier data showing a rise in cases among working-age adults, particularly where individuals are not receiving support services
Gateshead are below national averages for abuse in some hospital locations

S42 Enquiry outcomes

Gateshead has consistently performed better than regional and national averages for action taken in S42 enquiries. National and regional averages are around 85% for action taken but Gateshead is usually over 90%
The past 2 years Gateshead has seen a higher proportion of S42 enquiries where risk remained which puts our performance below national and regional averages by around 8-10%
National, regional and statistical neighbour averages are similar:
- Yes - outcomes expressed - 70%
- Yes - No outcomes expressed - 15%
- No - not asked - 13%
- Not known - 1%
- Not recorded - 1%
Gateshead has improved each year with asking and recording an outcome expressed but are still about 10% short of averages
Gateshead has a higher percentage of completed S42 enquiries where no outcomes expressed
Gateshead are in line with averages for recording where desired outcomes are not asked
Gateshead have a higher percentage than average where it is not known if asked or desired outcome expressed but this percentage is improving in Gateshead against recent years.
National, regional and statistical neighbour averages are similar:
- Outcome Fully Achieved - 70%
- Outcome Partially Achieved - 25%
- Outcome not achieved - 5%
In the past 3 years Gateshead has saw a fall in outcomes fully achieved and an increase in partially achieved outcomes.
The past 2 years Gateshead just under 50% of completed S42 enquiries have fully achieved outcomes and 40-45% of S42 enquiries where outcomes are partially achieved
Except for 2022/23 Gateshead has had less than 10% of completed enquiries where outcomes were not achieved at all and is close to national, regional and statistical neighbour's averages

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)

For the period April 2024 to March 2025 Gateshead Council received 2841 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard applications. This remains consistent with activity from the previous financial year (2840). The demands placed on local authorities in meeting statutory obligations remains high. Gateshead are compliant with care home DoLS, and do not have a waiting list,

The highest rate for DoLS applications remains with those over the age of 65. Within Gateshead this represents 2475 applications (87% of all applications) and for those aged under 65, 366 (13%) for those under 65.

925 applications were signed off with the status "Not Granted", this could be due to no ongoing requirement to complete an authorisation:

72 Assessment Criteria not met
778 Change of Circumstances (usually in a short-term setting ie hospital and there is no ongoing requirement for an assessment/ authorisation)
75 Death of Person

Commissioning concerns

The number of provider concerns reduced from 262 in 2023/24 to 168 in 2024/25 with 367 types of abuse raised within those concerns. Staff issues was the highest category at 30% rising from 23.7% in 2023/24, this demonstrates the continued difficulty in recruiting staff in the health and social care sector.

Older Person Residential & Nursing establishments received the highest number of concerns at 72% of all concerns received, this is an increase from 55% in 2023/24. This is followed by Generalist Homecare with 17% of the concerns and Working Age (18-64 providers) with a total of 11% of all concerns.

The health and social care system continues to face significant challenges, particularly due to high staff turnover, which adversely affects service delivery and continuity. Furthermore, there remains a lack of clarity around the appropriate channels for reporting safeguarding issues, commissioning concerns, and quality of care matters. This has hindered the commissioning function's ability to respond effectively to emerging issues.

To address these concerns, a comprehensive review of the decision-making framework is underway. In parallel, more robust processes are being introduced to enhance the triangulation of information across adult social care, health services, and commissioning teams, ensuring a more coordinated and responsive approach.

Multi-agency Task and Finish Group

Following an action agreed by the Board in February 2024, a multi-agency Task and Finish Group was established to strengthen safeguarding referral pathways and ensure all partners have a clear understanding of the new triage process. The group convened in April 2024, with representation from Gateshead Council (LA), Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (GHFT), North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB), Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW), and North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

An action plan was developed and agreed upon during the meeting, focusing on the following key areas:
Referral Pathways: Updating the Adult Social Care Practitioner Enquiry link to enable NEAS, GHFT, TWFRS, and GPs to upload safeguarding referrals and provide relevant information to practitioners.
Information Access: Facilitating GHFT's access to case file information via the Local Authority's Mosaic platform or the Great North Care Record.
GP Referral Process: Transitioning GPs to use a dedicated safeguarding concern referral form uploaded via a secure website link, replacing the previous portal-based system.
Quality Assurance: Implementing regular quality audits of safeguarding concerns received from partner agencies to support continuous improvement and inform internal learning and development.
Form Enhancement: Updating the Mosaic portal safeguarding concern form to ensure it effectively captures the necessary information for assessment under Section 42 enquiries and aligns with Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) data requirements.

This collaborative approach aimed to enhance safeguarding practices across the partnership and ensure a consistent, high-quality response to concerns. This group was a precursor to the formation of the Data Working Group has provided a structured forum for ongoing data development and scrutiny.