An inspection of adult support and protection measures in the North Ayrshire area found clear strengths in ensuring adults at risk of harm are safe, protected and supported. However, inspectors also identified areas which could further improve.  

A report of the inspection, published today, identified a number of key strengths. These included:  

  • Overall, adult support and protection inquiries were undertaken in line with the code of practice. They were of a high quality, prompt and competently determined whether to proceed to full investigation.
  • The quality and competence of adult support and protection investigations was a clear strength. They reflected multi-agency contributions and supported effective risk assessment.
  • The creation of an NHS Ayrshire and Arran associate nurse director for public protection and other initiatives, impacted positively on health operational practice and strategic partnerships.
  • The partnership’s strategic leadership was committed to continuous learning and improvement. This was channelled through well-established, and regularly undertaken, audit and self-evaluation activities.

The inspections also reported key areas for improvement. These included:   

  • Access to independent advocacy was limited. The partnership aimed to address this through their refreshed advocacy strategy. This should be a priority area for improvement.
  • Police Scotland inconsistently applied policy and practice across several areas, which when combined weakened the operational effectiveness of the partnership’s adult support and protection activity. These require to be promptly addressed to ensure parity of service levels across the partnership.

Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate said:

“The Care Inspectorate and our partners Healthcare Improvement Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland were asked by Scottish Ministers to carry out a second phase of joint inspections of adult support and protection across Scotland. This is a report of our findings for the North Ayrshire partnership. It sets out how effectively they make sure adults at risk of harm are safe, protected, and supported and comments on the progress made since their 2017 adult support and protection inspections."

The report can be read here.