Abuse and neglect reports double in Hackney, rising at twice national rate

Cllr Jonathan McShane said a lot has been done to ‘raise awareness’ about abuse

Reports of concerns about abuse or neglect in Hackney have doubled over the last year, rising twice as fast as the national average.

NHS data reveals 1,261 safeguarding concerns about Hackney adults were submitted in 2016/17, up from 660 the previous year.

The figures were recorded in the City & Hackney Safeguarding Adults Board (CHSAB) report for a Hackney Council cabinet meeting on 27 November.

This new data comes after a 2015 campaign from Hackney council that urged the public to report instances of adult abuse. 

Most of the potential abuse was in people’s homes with 75 percent of enquires taking place there, compared to just 43 percent nationally.

Neglect was the most common type of abuse reported in Hackney, followed by financial abuse, then physical abuse.

Hackney adults over 85 are over twice as likely to be the subject of a safeguarding enquiry than those younger than them.

In 2014 the government changed the definition of adults at risk to include those vulnerable to sexual exploitation and modern day slavery, among others.

Cllr Jonathan McShane, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Devolution said: “We have done a lot of work in Hackney over the past two years to raise public awareness about adult abuse in all its forms.

“We have also changed how we identify adults who are most at risk of abuse by widening the definition and all safeguarding concerns have been recorded to ensure no one is left suffering in silence.”

He added: “Awareness and training has been carried out across all of our partner organisations. The next stage is to develop a prevention and early intervention plan in partnership with service users.”