New guidance has been published by the British Medical Association in the form of a toolkit for GPs to provide practical advice on promoting and protecting the wellbeing of vulnerable adults.

Although principally aimed at GPs, any professional working in health care settings with vulnerable adults will find it useful.

The term “vulnerable adults” covers an extremely wide range of individuals, including people with a learning disability.

The toolkit covers a range of topics, including:

• Definitions of a vulnerable adult
• What constitutes abuse and neglect
• The part played in safeguarding by the mental capacity act
• Deprivation of liberty safeguards
• Appropriate sharing of information

The toolkit highlights the obligation doctors have to protect vulnerable adults, including identifying abusers, identifying systemic healthcare failures and reporting poor performance by health professionals. It includes examples of good practice and signposts key guidance, relevant legislation and useful names and addresses.
Safeguarding vulnerable adults – a tool kit for general practitioners – pdf