Adult Safeguarding Lead in Bedford

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Adult Safeguarding Lead

As Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults the post holder will work within Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that comprehensive and robust arrangements are in place for safeguarding adults within our services.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

• Provide expert advice about Safeguarding Adults as stipulated in primary legislation, government strategy and national, regional, and local guidance, ensuring policies and procedures are in place and implemented.
• Develop and maintain processes and procedures for safeguarding adults at risk for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust ensuring that prevention of abuse and safeguarding systems are in place and constantly developed to minimise risk.
• Identify, take responsibility and ensure actions are in place to meet the health of vulnerable adults across the Trust. This will involve cross organisational and partnership working at an operational level.
• Undertake an expert clinical leadership role in relation to safeguarding adults as part of inter‑agency working.
• Be actively involved in the strategic planning and service developments in relation to inter‑agency working for the safeguarding of adults in accordance with national and local requirements.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust’s core values. We achieve this by using values‑based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities

Clinical, Patient and Family Care

• Support patients and families as required during the safeguarding process.
• Analyse information and provide recommendations for incorporation into clinical practice.
• Actively work with clinical teams, using specialist knowledge and experience.
• Make decisions in conjunction with colleagues which directly influence patient care. Assist others in decision‑making.
• Gain consent for the safeguarding process, assess mental capacity and risk assess as appropriate and also when agreed as part of partnership working with the Safeguarding Referral teams (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton).
• Responsible for ensuring the Deprivation of Liberty process is applied and clinical staff are competent and trained to manage this process.
• Support staff involved in all aspects of individual cases and in their participation in the full safeguarding process, including attending meetings and presenting their evidence in relation to a case.
• Ensure appropriate support systems (for clinicians reporting and/or investigating instances of suspected abuse) are in place.
• Ensure the Learder process is followed and learning is disseminated within the acute Trust.

Education, training and development

• Promote adult safeguarding at all levels and with all staff groups.
• Ensure the development, implementation and monitoring of a robust training programme for all staff groups.
• Provide expert up‑to‑date advice, training and supervision to professionals working with adults within the hospital on issues relating to the protection and safeguarding of adults which includes the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty.
• Disseminate the learning from all alerts, cases, strategy meetings, serious concerns and serious case reviews and assist in the development of actions and implementation of recommendations for the Trust through key quality and