For the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) to receive the Annual Report of the Herefordshire Adults Safeguarding Board (HSAB).

Hilary Hall introduced the annual report of the Herefordshire Adults Safeguarding Board (HSAB), the main points included:

i.             There was a statutory requirement to send the annual report to the chair of the local health and wellbeing board.

ii.            The annual report had been approved by HSAB in October 2025.

iii.          The core duties of the HSAB included the publication of a strategic plan, the publication of the annual report, and conducting safeguarding adult reviews.

iv.          16 referrals for potential reviews had been received in 2024/25, compared to 5 in 2023/24.  5 referrals had met the criteria for review and were in progress or complete, with one published.

v.           Data indicated that the proportion of people who use services who feel safe remained higher in Herefordshire in comparison to the West Midlands average and all England average.

vi.          The number of safeguarding enquiries had fallen but this may reflect changes in triage process.

vii.         The majority of individuals involved in safeguarding concerns were female (58%), and the most common location where abuse occurred was in a person’s own home (54%).

viii.       Challenges related to the staffing capacity of partner agencies were noted.

ix.          Priorities were being reviewed for the next strategic plan cycle to start in April 2026.

Noting that the term of the current Independent Chair of HSAB would end in March 2026, the Chairperson requested that the thanks of the Health and Wellbeing Board for the excellent work undertaken by Kevin Crompton be put on record.

Resolved:

The HSAB Annual Report 2024/25 and the effectiveness of the arrangements for safeguarding adults in Herefordshire be noted.