Nadia Muhammad P5/M2
This section of my report will assess the importance of recognizing the signs of
abuse. It will be based on case study 2: Wellings NHS Trust, Ward 3B and it will
include how the service user would have benefited if abuse was supported.
The report is based on the case study called Wellings NHS Trust, Ward 3B. The
main service user is called Lizzy D. was admitted to the ward for a routine procedure
on her left hand. The surgery went smoothly and there were no complications.
Following the visit of Lizzy’s husband, she complaints of pain in her hand and the
nurse on duty, noticed that it was swollen and discoloured. Lizzy stated that this had
‘suddenly happened’ and that she could not explain it. She was given medication to
reduce the swelling and the pain. Because the nurse was busy, she did not record
either the issue or the medication given to Lizzy. The next day, Lizzy’s husband
again visited, and Lizzy complained of the same swelling and pain in her hand. The
husband had important things to discuss with Lizzy, that he insisted on drawing the
curtains around the bed. Amina administered pain relief but didn’t record this. She
did question Lizzy about her hand, but Lizzy turned her face away and refused to
answer.
If a service user decides to disclose an allegation of abuse or neglect to one of their
service providers, it is important that the allegation is taken seriously and that they
do not jump to conclusions. For some people asking too many questions may be
distressing and change their mind about speaking of the incident. The service user
should not promise to keep it a secret as they have a duty of care to report
suspected cases of abuse or neglect to their manager or higher-ups.
Within the case study, it is up to Lizzy to disclose what is happening behind the close
curtain of her bed within the ward as nobody else truly knows or witnessed this.
While it is very serious and potentially a life-threatening thing, Amina must be aware
of and understand that this will be a very emotional and hard thing for Lizzy to
process and that she may not be ready to make a claim or report due to her
recovering from surgery and possible mental abuse in her home life. Amina should
show Lizzy compassion and support her in any way that she can, but it is still vital for
her to report these concerns to higher-up or police even if she is unsure. Amina must
consider what the consequences for Lizzy maybe if she does not report this all while
ensuring that she is respectful of her and her dignity. Amina must be aware of the
impact on Lizzy's life ongoing abuse could have and the potential outcome of her
returning home with her husband if this is left unreported.
Any information in regard to safeguarding is personal and sensitive data and is
therefore protected on the data protection act 1988 and the human rights act 1998.
This means that the information must be stored correctly, if on paper locked away in
a filing cabinet or if digital password protected. The service provider must never
speak to unauthorized personnel about the case.
If a service provider is aware of abuse or neglect of a service user, they should follow
the whistleblowing procedures, this means that staff can freely speak of any
concerns they may have without the fear of punishment or repercussions. However,
in some cases, a care worker may choose to ignore these claims as they fear
making it worse for the service user such as Lizzy, or it may just be easier to not
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This section of my report will assess the importance of recognizing the signs of
abuse. It will be based on case study 2: Wellings NHS Trust, Ward 3B and it will
include how the service user would have benefited if abuse was supported.
The report is based on the case study called Wellings NHS Trust, Ward 3B. The
main service user is called Lizzy D. was admitted to the ward for a routine procedure
on her left hand. The surgery went smoothly and there were no complications.
Following the visit of Lizzy’s husband, she complaints of pain in her hand and the
nurse on duty, noticed that it was swollen and discoloured. Lizzy stated that this had
‘suddenly happened’ and that she could not explain it. She was given medication to
reduce the swelling and the pain. Because the nurse was busy, she did not record
either the issue or the medication given to Lizzy. The next day, Lizzy’s husband
again visited, and Lizzy complained of the same swelling and pain in her hand. The
husband had important things to discuss with Lizzy, that he insisted on drawing the
curtains around the bed. Amina administered pain relief but didn’t record this. She
did question Lizzy about her hand, but Lizzy turned her face away and refused to
answer.
If a service user decides to disclose an allegation of abuse or neglect to one of their
service providers, it is important that the allegation is taken seriously and that they
do not jump to conclusions. For some people asking too many questions may be
distressing and change their mind about speaking of the incident. The service user
should not promise to keep it a secret as they have a duty of care to report
suspected cases of abuse or neglect to their manager or higher-ups.
Within the case study, it is up to Lizzy to disclose what is happening behind the close
curtain of her bed within the ward as nobody else truly knows or witnessed this.
While it is very serious and potentially a life-threatening thing, Amina must be aware
of and understand that this will be a very emotional and hard thing for Lizzy to
process and that she may not be ready to make a claim or report due to her
recovering from surgery and possible mental abuse in her home life. Amina should
show Lizzy compassion and support her in any way that she can, but it is still vital for
her to report these concerns to higher-up or police even if she is unsure. Amina must
consider what the consequences for Lizzy maybe if she does not report this all while
ensuring that she is respectful of her and her dignity. Amina must be aware of the
impact on Lizzy's life ongoing abuse could have and the potential outcome of her
returning home with her husband if this is left unreported.
Any information in regard to safeguarding is personal and sensitive data and is
therefore protected on the data protection act 1988 and the human rights act 1998.
This means that the information must be stored correctly, if on paper locked away in
a filing cabinet or if digital password protected. The service provider must never
speak to unauthorized personnel about the case.
If a service provider is aware of abuse or neglect of a service user, they should follow
the whistleblowing procedures, this means that staff can freely speak of any
concerns they may have without the fear of punishment or repercussions. However,
in some cases, a care worker may choose to ignore these claims as they fear
making it worse for the service user such as Lizzy, or it may just be easier to not
1
