https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/patients-and-families/support-services/safeguarding-service/

Safeguarding Service

The priority of the Safeguarding Service at Great Ormond Street Hospital is to make sure that we safeguard all of our patients and families.

Safeguarding means protecting the health and well-being, of children and vulnerable adults, ensuring they are safe from harm, abuse, and neglect. It’s about creating a safe environment and taking action when concerns arise.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility - you should report anything you observe that is worrying or concerning, as this can help protect someone from harm.

We work in partnership with parents and carers to provide help and support where needed. If you do have any concerns, please speak to a member of staff.

If you are worried about your safety or need any advice about safeguarding, you can:

Safeguarding Service

  • You can speak with the Safeguarding Service, Monday - Friday 9am-5pm. We are located on level 2 of the Southwood building. You do not need an appointment to visit us. You can also call the team on: 0207 405 9200 ext 8896 / 5044
  • Raising a concern with the Safeguarding Team is confidential and will not impact your treatment or put you at risk of any trouble.

If you or any person is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.

If you have any concerns about the safety of yourself or a vulnerable adult, and want to report:

  • Adult abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Sexual safety

Please talk to a nurse or member of staff on the ward.

Safeguarding Service

  • You can speak with the Safeguarding Service, Monday - Friday 9am-5pm. We are located on level 2 of the Southwood building. You do not need an appointment to visit us. You can also call the team on: 0207 405 9200 ext 8896 / 5044
  • Raising a concern with the Safeguarding Team is confidential and will not impact your treatment or put you at risk of any trouble.

If you or any person is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.

PALS

If you are unhappy with any care you have received, please contact the PALS Team:

Telephone: 020 7829 7862 or by email on pals@gosh.nhs.uk

Support

We support families by providing:

  • Emotional support
  • Practical and financial support:
    • We can help support with financial worries and worries about benefits.
    • We can support with Disability Living Allowance (DLA) applications. DLA is a benefit for children under 16 to help cover extra costs associated with long term health conditions or disabilities. We can help guide you through your application, help gather medical evidence to support your application and provide emotional support.
    • We advocate on behalf of families, supporting them to access services – e.g. advocating with local Housing via support letters.
    • We can also provide lunch vouchers.

Liaise

  • We can liaise directly with Local Authorities where needed. This includes supporting with complex discharge planning.

Consult

  • We consult with staff about cases where they have concerns. We can help decide whether it warrants a referral to GOSH Safeguarding and/or the Local Authority.

Attend

  • Attend psychosocial meetings, and clinic appointments where there are safeguarding concerns.
  • We also attend Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings, where professionals from different specialities come together to plan and coordinate a patient’s care. We provide an insight into the family’s circumstances and emotional wellbeing, advocating for the family to ensure their voice is heard and their needs are prioritised.
  • Attend discharge planning meetings

Escalate

  • We can help with escalating concerns where we are unhappy with the response of a Local Authority to a referral.

Signpost

  • To charities or other organisations who can provide support
  • To other services for example, housing, GP, education

Apply

  • We can apply to charities for support for families, with essential items, travel to/from the hospital etc. (Note this is not always guaranteed.)

Within the trust we have trained professionals who lead the safeguarding service. These roles consist of:

  • Assistant Chief Nurse Safeguarding and Learning Disability
  • Named Professional Safeguarding Children
  • Named Doctor Safeguarding
  • Named Professional Safeguarding Adults, Learning Disability, Parity of Esteem
  • Named Professional Children and Young People Gender Service

Our safeguarding service is formed of dedicated safeguarding advisors, who are experienced, knowledgeable and skilled in all aspects of safeguarding matters.

All our staff receive safeguarding training which is reviewed on a regular basis by the safeguarding service. We meet our safeguarding training targets which are reported to the senior leadership team.

All of the trust safeguarding policies are up to date and reviewed on a regular basis by the safeguarding service.

We work closely with our local authorities and are members of:

Our staff are able to attend a wide range of training provided by both partnerships.

Level 2 of the Southwood building (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).