BSAB Annual Report 2022-2023

Previous Years Annual Reports:

Statement from our Independent Chair Eleanor Brazil for the Annual Report 2021-2022:

It is now 3 years since I became the chair of Bexley Safeguarding Adults Board. Hard to believe how quickly the time has gone by. Of course, much of this period has been dominated by the Covid pandemic. We've all had to adapt to new ways of working and learning new ways of living. In this time, we've had to get used to a whole range of things PPE, vaccinations, masks, self isolation , lateral flow tests and track and I am full of
respect for the many staff from all agencies who literally rolled up their sleeves and got on with caring for the most vulnerable people in our community.

Thanks to our wonderful Board manager, Anita, the national Safeguarding Excellence awards were introduced. I was one of a national panel who had the privilege of judging the nominations under the different categories. It was so heartening to read the examples of people from different agencies who had delivered such great support in their community. We had many nominations from Bexley and in recognition of their hard work
we held a celebration evening in March which was attended by over 50 people. It was really great to meet them in person and thank them.

What a great way to conclude my time in this role and pass on to the new independent chair. We have held Board meetings throughout the 3 years laterally on Teams remotely but initially in person. They are always well attended. Collaborative working has always been a strength in Bexley, but I believe the difficulties of the past 2 years has brought people even closer together. You will read several examples in this annual report of the way joint working has helped safeguard vulnerable adults effectively. Sadly, there are also a small number of cases where this did not happen, and our safeguarding adults' reviews have been important in identifying the lessons to be learnt. This has led to improvements and been the basis of our training to support the workforce to understand the issues and learn from them. I hope you enjoy reading about the work of the Board and the difference it has made.