Adult abuse

Any adult can be a victim of abuse, but some adults may be less able to protect themselves from abuse. When adults require support because of physical or mental disability, mental illness, learning difficulty, chronic illness or frailty they are sometimes referred to as ‘vulnerable adults’.

What is meant by abuse?

Abuse is a violation of a person’s human or civil rights. It can be unintentional or deliberate. Abuse can be:

• Physical
• Sexual
• Psychological/emotional
• Financial
• Neglect
• Discriminatory – when it relates to someone’s sexuality, culture, ethnicity or religion or disability
• Institutional – when people are mistreated as a result of the way a service (e.g. a hospital or care home) is run

What to do if I suspect abuse ?

Some types of abuse can also be crimes; if you suspect a crime has been committed, contact the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Abuse of vulnerable adults can also be reported to Bristol Care Direct on 0117 9222000 or South Gloucestershire Customer Care Services desk on 01454 868007.

If you have a concern about the way a service is being run, you can contact Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161.

For further information, please visit Bristol City Council www.bristol.gov.uk or South Gloucestershire Council www.southglos.gov.uk/safeguardingadult

Safeguarding Adults at North Bristol NHS Trust

• We ensure that all our staff are safe to work with vulnerable adults by carrying out DBS checks.
• We have a policy on Safeguarding Adults which aims to ensure that all staff working with vulnerable adults have training in how to respond if they suspect a vulnerable adult is being abused and how to support this person.
• We are committed to working closely with the police, social services and community health staff to prevent abuse and to respond to possible situations of abuse to support the vulnerable adult and keep them safe.