The Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel was scheduled to review the Haringey Safeguarding Adults Board's annual report, discuss learning from provider failures in community equipment services, and examine upheld complaints from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman. The panel was also set to receive an update on its work programme.

Haringey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25

The panel was scheduled to consider the annual report of the Haringey Safeguarding Adults Board (HSAB) for the period April 2024 to March 2025. This report, produced as part of the HSAB's statutory duty under the Care Act 2014¹, outlines the Board's work and how partner agencies have collaborated to improve the safety of adults at risk of or experiencing abuse and neglect. The report details how safeguarding has been promoted and developed over the past year through the Board and its subgroups.

A significant part of the report focused on Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs). In 2024/25, three SARs were published: the Victoria, Eleanor, and Adult Safeguarding and Provider Concerns Thematic SARs. These reviews identified learning from cases leading to the deaths of individuals, recommending improvements in areas such as assessing self-neglect risks, mental capacity assessments, feedback on safeguarding concerns, sharing provider concerns with commissioning teams, and the wider rollout of the London Urgent Care Plan. The report also detailed the HSAB's vision and objectives, which include ensuring residents live free from harm, preventing abuse, and ensuring timely responses when abuse occurs. The work of the Board is guided by six key principles of safeguarding: empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership, and accountability.

Community Equipment - Learning from Provider Failure

The panel was scheduled to receive a report on learning from provider failures within community equipment services. This item was listed as Report to follow, indicating that specific details were not yet available in the provided documentation.

Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman - Upheld Complaints

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to considering details of Adult Social Care complaints upheld by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). This item was divided into two parts:

Part A: Public Report by the LGSCO

The panel was to consider a public report by the LGSCO following an investigation into a complaint concerning Adult Social Care. This specific investigation, referenced as Ref: 24 014 203, found fault relating to delays in responding to safeguarding concerns and shortcomings in complaint handling. The report highlighted that the Council had not evidenced consideration of whether it needed to act to safeguard Mr Y, leaving him at risk of harm. The Council's complaint handling was also found to be poor, causing frustration to Ms X, who had raised concerns. The LGSCO recommended that the Council apologise to Mr Y and Ms X, pay financial remedies, and undertake a lessons learned exercise with relevant staff. The Council was also required to review its safeguarding policy to ensure safeguarding referrals are considered regardless of format, provide training on accepting referrals based on thresholds rather than specific formats, and offer training on effective complaint handling. An update on the Council's action plan to address backlogs in email communications and police reports was also to be provided. The Council had accepted these recommendations and was due to provide evidence of compliance by 19 November 2025.

Part B: Overview of Adult Social Care Complaints

This part of the agenda was to provide an overall overview of Adult Social Care complaints. A report to the Cabinet on 11 November 2025 indicated that in 2024/25, Haringey Council received 295 Stage 1 complaints within Adult Social Care, representing 2% of initial contacts and 6% of all Stage 1 complaints across the council. The report noted that 63% of complaints were processed as Statutory and 37% as Corporate, with a recommendation to improve the accuracy of this routing. Performance on responding to Stage 1 complaints on time was 42% for the 10-day target in 2024/25, an improvement from 33% the previous year. The LGSCO data for 2024/25 showed 42 decisions, with 20 upheld complaints (91% upheld rate). Common issues identified in upheld complaints included poor complaint handling, financial assessment errors, carer assessment delays, incorrect care charges, and delays in Disabled Facilities Grant applications. The report also highlighted service delivery delays, poor communication, support planning gaps, and issues with safeguarding and risk oversight. The Council's mitigation and improvement steps included clearing correspondence backlogs, delivering safeguarding learning sessions, enhancing governance, and reviewing the ASC operating model.

Work Programme Update

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on its work programme. The provided documentation included a draft work plan for 2025-26, outlining scheduled items such as the Adult Carers Strategy, Finance & Performance updates, and reviews of the Connected Communities initiative and the Joint Partnerships Board. Potential additional items for scrutiny included communications with residents, the impact of housing conditions on health and wellbeing, and the Autism Strategy. The work plan also indicated potential follow-up items from previous discussions, including maternity services, CQC inspection outcomes, aids and adaptations, self-neglect and hoarding, weight management, adult social care new ways of working, care homes, leisure services, budget scrutiny, and issues related to direct payments and supported living reviews.