Service
Safeguarding our patients means protecting your health, wellbeing and human rights, and supporting you to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It is fundamental to our commitment to deliver outstanding care.
We have a statutory duty to safeguard the welfare of all children and adults at risk of, or experiencing abuse or neglect. In safeguarding children, we take every action to promote the welfare of our children and adolescent patients and protect them from harm. We play our part in protecting them from abuse and maltreatment, preventing harm to their health or development, making sure children and young people grow up with the provision of safe and effective care.
Safeguarding our adult patients means protecting the right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about us all, organisations and individuals, working together to stop abuse or neglect where it is taking place and to stop it happening in the first place. We balance this responsibility with the need to promote our patients wellbeing including, where appropriate, their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on what action to take.
How we safeguard our patients
All our staff are given a level of safeguarding adult and children training applicable to their role in our induction programme and on a rolling 3 year basis. We make robust pre-employment checks to make sure they are safe to work with vulnerable adults and children. We have a Safeguarding Service that provides safeguarding advice and support for all Trust staff.
How can you help?
Reporting abuse and neglect or the risk of it
If you are concerned about a child or adult at risk of, or experiencing abuse or neglect please ring the local authority helpline Somerset Direct 0300 1232224.
Domestic violence
If you are concerned about domestic abuse, you can call the Somerset Domestic abuse service freephone helpline 0800 69 49 999 or by visiting their website: Somerset Survivors