Safeguarding policy
How we protect children and adults at risk in a remote service, who is responsible, and what happens when a doctor is concerned.
Draft for review by Medhub LTD before publication.
Why we publish this
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and a remote service has to be more deliberate about it, not less. This page explains how Cheshire Clinics protects children and adults at risk, what we do when we are worried, and what you can expect from us.
Who is responsible
The safeguarding lead for Cheshire Clinics is Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, MBChB MRCGP, GMC 7563469, who is also the registered manager and lead clinician. Every doctor who consults for Cheshire Clinics holds safeguarding training to Level 3 for both children and adults, in line with the intercollegiate standards, and it is refreshed every three years.
Children and young people
• A parent or someone with parental responsibility must book and be present for the whole consultation with a child under 16. The consultation will not proceed without them.
• A young person under 16 who is judged competent to understand their treatment may consent to it themselves and may ask to speak to the doctor alone for part of the appointment. We will accommodate that where it is safe and appropriate.
• From 16, young people are presumed able to consent for themselves.
• Remote consultation limits what a doctor can see of a child and their surroundings. Where anything raises a concern, we arrange or signpost an in-person assessment through the NHS and follow the same duties as any other doctor.
Adults at risk
Some adults are less able to protect themselves because of illness, disability, age or their circumstances. Our doctors are alert to signs of abuse, neglect, coercion and self-neglect, and to domestic abuse, and will ask about them directly where there is reason to.
What happens if we are concerned
• The doctor will discuss the concern with you where it is safe to do so.
• We may share information with your NHS GP, the local authority, the police or other agencies. Wherever possible we do this with your consent; where a child or adult is at risk of serious harm we will share what is necessary without it, as the law and GMC guidance require.
• Everything shared is recorded in the clinical record, together with the reason.
Identity checks
We confirm who we are speaking to at the start of every consultation, including photo identification for adults and, for a child, the identity of the adult present. This protects patients and prevents a consultation being used to obtain a prescription or a letter for someone else.
Prescribing safeguards
We do not prescribe Schedule 2 or 3 controlled drugs. Medicines with a potential for misuse are prescribed only with caution, never initiated remotely, and only after the NHS Summary Care Record has been checked with your consent.
If you are worried about someone now
• In an emergency, call 999.
• For a child: NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000, or the children's social care team at the local council.
• For an adult: the adult social care team at the local council, or Hourglass on 0808 808 8141 for concerns about an older person.
• To raise a concern with us: hello@cheshireclinics.com or 0330 113 1874.
Review
This policy is reviewed annually and after any safeguarding incident or change in national guidance.