Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everybody’s business. Adult abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere, and responsibility for addressing it lies with all of us.
If you know, or suspect, that an adult is being abused, harmed, or neglected, whether it's in their own home, in a care home or hospital, or out in the community, please let us know so that we can do something about it. You can also share your concerns with a trusted professional, such as a GP or nurse.
If the person's in immediate danger
Call the police on 999.
If the person's not at risk of immediate harm
If you're worried about an adult, but you don't feel they're in immediate danger, you still need to tell us about it as soon as possible. Call Adult Social Services on (01226) 773300.
Out of office hours you can phone (01226) 787789.
Out of hours emergencies
To report an urgent concern outside of office hours, call our emergency duty team on (01226) 787789. They work on weekends and bank holidays and deal with issues that can't wait until usual office opening hours.
If you're Deaf or hard of hearing
If there's an immediate danger, contact the police. You can send the police an emergency SMS text to 07786 220022 or text phone to 18001 999.
If the person's not at risk of immediate harm you can use our BSL video relay service to contact Adult Social Services.
If you're Deaf and we need to meet you, we'll book a BSL interpreter. If you're hard of hearing we can book a venue to meet your access needs, eg with a hearing loop.
If you contact safeguarding about someone else, we'll contact them to find out what help they need.
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are the independent regulator of health and social care in England. You can:
- contact the CQC online
- call the CQC on 03000 616161
- write to the CQC at: CQC National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA