Safeguarding Adults and the Law

Book excerpt: The protection of vulnerable adults is an increasingly important issue right across health and social care. Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and the Law, now in its second edition, sets this complex area of work within a comprehensive legal framework and provides extensive guidance for practitioners and students. The book covers Department of Health guidelines, human rights, the regulation of health and social care providers, the barring of carers from working with vulnerable adults, care standards tribunal cases, mental capacity, undue influence, assault, battery, willful neglect, ill treatment, manslaughter, murder, theft, fraud, sexual offences, data protection and the sharing of information. It focuses on how these areas of law apply to vulnerable adults, and brings together an extensive body of case law to illustrate this. Also covered is how local authorities and the NHS may themselves be implicated in the harm - through abuse, neglect or omission - suffered by vulnerable adults. This fully-updated second edition comprehensively reflects recent changes to the law, and includes many new case studies. This book will be an invaluable resource for all those working in community care, adult social work, health care and housing. Those working for local authorities, the NHS, voluntary organizations and students will find it to be essential reading.