SWAST: Safeguarding Updates and Improvements

SWAST Safeguarding Team

• Head of safeguarding - Lerryn Udy
• Deputy head of safeguarding - Daniel Dray

Safeguarding specialist covering each locality:

• Jodie Gallagher - Devon
• Dominic Costar - Plymouth and Torbay

• Education Specialist
• Learning disability and vulnerabilities specialist
• Business support team

The safeguarding specialists are not all paramedics and have qualifications in occupational therapy, midwifery, social work, policing. 

Summary of the safeguarding specialist role

• Operational Area Lead for Safeguarding both Children/Adults.
• Delivering safeguarding training and supervision across the Trust.
• Provide specialist safeguarding advice and guidance within the Trust.
• Quality assurance.
• Participation in statutory reviews to include safeguarding adult reviews, domestic homicide reviews and child death reviews.
• Point of contact for external partners 

What's New!

• Safeguarding duty phone: Ambulance crews can call for safeguarding advice whilst on scene.
• Safeguarding supervision: Ambulance crews can book a safeguarding supervision to discuss and reflect on safeguarding concerns and referrals. 
• Safeguarding training: Developed by the education specialist within the team, ensuring that any learning identified from reviews or themes identified by the safeguarding specialists are considered.
• New safeguarding forms: This includes an adult safeguarding form, adult care and support form, child safeguarding form, unborn child form, fire form and a prevent form. Forms align with the layout of partner organisations forms.
• New referral system: Referrals will be sent to the local authorities automatically rather than going to the safeguarding team for triage. This will ensure that referrals are sent in a timely manner. It will also support safeguarding specialists with data collection, being able to 'deep dive' into locality data.

SWAST Care Home Community of Practice Background 

In January 2026, the first meeting of the newly established SWAST Care Home Community of Practice (CoP) was held. This development followed a piece of work led by the BNSSG Safeguarding Specialist in response to concerns raised by a large Bristol care home provider regarding the nature and appropriateness of some safeguarding concerns submitted by ambulance crews, as well as reports of unhelpful behaviours and attitudes displayed during interactions. 

A collaborative review was undertaken involving the provider, the local authority, and the Safeguarding Specialist. This work identified the need to strengthen mutual understanding of organisational roles and responsibilities, the operational pressures each service faces, and the opportunities to improve communication, relationships, and joint working. 

Purpose of the Community of Practice 

The CoP has been created to provide a structured forum to: 

• Share learning, challenges, and best practice between SWAST and care home providers. 
• Support reflection and continuous improvement in how staff work with care homes.
• Promote consistency in safeguarding practice and communication.
• Develop a shared repository of resources, including case examples, tools, and approaches for addressing recurring issues. 

The Community of Practice comprises 20 members, with representation from all SWAST localities. Membership includes colleagues from care home provider associations and care home support teams. Meetings are held quarterly and facilitated by the BNSSG Safeguarding Specialist. 

Planned areas of development for future CoP sessions include: 

• Practical training on calling 999 and remote clinical assessment to support appropriate escalation and improve decision‑making. 
• Co‑creation of an SBARD (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Decision) communication template to be shared and adopted across care home providers, utilising established provider networks to support consistent dissemination.
• Continued development of shared learning materials and reflective resources. 

The establishment of the CoP represents a positive and proactive step towards improving partnership working between SWAST and care homes with the ultimate aim to improve the quality of care, experiences and outcomes for care home residents.