The RCGP is working towards the vision that the safeguarding of adults and children will be embedded into every day routine general practice and become a normal part of our ongoing holistic care.
GPs as well as all primary care staff, play a key role in safeguarding people of all ages by providing care throughout their lifetime. Patients and their families allow us into their lives, often at times of great distress, to support and help them. This is a great privilege but also gives us great responsibility. It is when we get into the realms of safeguarding that these two roles, privilege and responsibility, most clearly meet. Combining these roles enables us to be powerful advocates for our most vulnerable patients.
The RCGP is working towards the vision that the safeguarding of adults and children will be embedded into every day routine general practice and become a normal part of our ongoing holistic care.
Our short Good Practice Safeguarding Video demonstrates the important role every practice team member plays in safeguarding patients.
The safeguarding intercollegiate documents provide a robust framework to ensure that primary care staff are equipped for their safeguarding duties.
Domestic violence is an abuse of human rights and a major public health problem because of the long-term health consequences for people who have experienced it. Many people experiencing abuse believe that their GP can be trusted with disclosure and GPs can offer practical support to protect people who disclose abuse.
Please find below a range of domestic violence resources.
For detailed and specific guidance on recording domestic abuse information (including MARAC – Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) in the patient record, go to Section 3 of the Adult Safeguarding Toolkit.