Significant progress has been made by services in Orkney in ensuring adults at risk of harm are safe, supported and respected.
A review was carried out by the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, following a previous joint inspection of adult support and protection conducted in 2023.
Inspectors found that the Orkney Islands partnership demonstrated a strong commitment through their strategic and operational managers to improve practice, and that the challenges of operating in a remote rural context were well understood.
Practitioners had been supported by new procedures and a programme of training.
The presence and quality of key elements of the adult support and protection process had all improved and staff had a greater knowledge and confidence in their work.
Inspectors also noted that the partnership had made significant progress regarding the pace of change. Strong collaboration was undertaken, and clear progress was evident. Adult support and protection was a priority across the partnership.
There was significant progress in strategic leaders’ approach to oversight. This included consideration of self-evaluation findings, external and single agency audits, learning reviews and case conference evaluations. This work included all core partnership agencies. Findings were discussed in the context of the improvement plan and assisted the identification of thematic trends and areas for improvement.
The partnership took multiple measures to strengthen the involvement of adults at risk of harm at all stages of the adult protection process. Significant progress was also made in ensuring strategic planning and decision-making is informed by the lived experience of adults at risk of harm and their unpaid carers.
There were indicators that awareness raising, training and more formalised access to in person guidance would be beneficial for health practitioners as well as assisting with oversight in health records.
Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “The Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland would like to thank the Orkney Islands partnership for their engagement in the progress review.
“We were pleased to see the range of improvements made by the partnership. Positively, the quality of the support all adults at risk of harm received was good or better. These factors indicated significant improvement with regard to the involvement of adults in the process. The Care Inspectorate link inspector will continue to engage with the partnership.”
The full report can be read here.