The High-Risk Advisory Panel exists as an exceptions process to discuss cases where normal risk management processes have not managed risk of real harm to an adult with care and support needs (or those around them). Often these are cases of self-neglect and where professionals have been unable to engage with the adult. Guided by safeguarding principles, the panel seeks to improve outcomes for adults at risk through partnership working and is informed by learning from recent cases featuring self-neglect.
The panel is advisory only. It has no case management function and no budgetary responsibilities. It is not an appropriate forum for the resolution of disputes between teams and services (please see Enfield Safeguarding Adults Board Escalation Policy for ways forward on this). So, while the panel may oversee whether actions have been completed through its review, the responsibility to ensure actions are implemented resides with the allocated professionals and their line managers.
An adult at risk may be referred to the High-Risk Advisory Panel if they meet the following criteria:
- The adult has care and support needs and is at a high level of risk
and
- Professionals involved have exhausted all reasonable, usual attempts to work with the adult to reduce the level of risk without success (including through assessment, support planning and review, professional’s meetings / multidisciplinary team meetings, Mental Capacity Act assessments and multi-agency risk assessments)
and
- Professionals have explored existing risk multi-agency risk management forums (please see below for examples of these in Enfield).
Cases may be referred to the High-Risk Advisory Panel by partner agencies who are members of the Enfield Safeguarding Adults Board in cases involving apparent self-neglect. All the referral criteria as mentioned above apply in these cases. It is expected that cases will already have been referred into Adult Social Care via either Safeguarding or Assessment routes prior to such a referral.