A new report from Alcohol Change UK says the role of alcohol is being missed or poorly managed in the care of vulnerable adults, in many cases contributing to their deaths.
The report sought to better understand the role that alcohol plays in deaths amongst vulnerable adults. It explored 11 Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) published in England in 2017 in which alcohol was identified as a significant factor in the person’s life and/or death. A SAR is commissioned following the death or serious harm of an adult with care and support needs.
The report says although in many of the cases people had dozens or even hundreds of interactions with social workers, paramedics, GPs, police, A&E departments and others, professionals working with them had not received adequate training to identify and address the alcohol elements of the situation. This meant that risks posed by alcohol were missed, under-estimated or poorly managed. In some cases this led to further barriers in the care of these people – or even the withdrawal of care. A series of case studies highlight the complex and tragic nature of such cases.
The report makes ten recommendations in the context of the law and discusses how practitioners could better apply the relevant legislation to similar situations, as well as how the current guidance could better address the issue of alcohol-related self-neglect.
Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, said:
“Our report reveals the tragic stories of lives lost in some of the most terrible of circumstances. We as a society owe it to the memories of the people who have died and their families to make the most of the learning from this review to prevent such tragedies in future."
“The recommendations that we offer are workable and urgent, especially for those people who are alive today and are at risk of being the subject of a future Safeguarding Adult Review. Most importantly, professionals who are working hard in the most difficult of circumstances need to receive proper legal backing and much better training in how to handle the genuine complexities of an alcohol problem when it is entwined with other challenging issues.”
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