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 

In January 2026, the first meeting of the newly established SWAST Care Home Community of Practice (CoP) was held, marking an important step forward in strengthening partnership working across the system. This development builds on collaborative work led by the SWAST BNSSG Safeguarding Specialist, alongside care home providers, the local authority, and system partners including the South West Care Association Alliance.

This work was initiated following feedback from a large Bristol care home provider regarding the nature and appropriateness of some safeguarding concerns submitted by ambulance crews, alongside reports of interactions that, at times, did not reflect the collaborative culture we are collectively striving for.

Through open and constructive dialogue, partners came together to review these concerns, creating a shared space to better understand each other’s roles, responsibilities, and operational pressures. This honest reflection highlighted a collective opportunity to strengthen communication, build relationships, and work more effectively together in the best interests of people drawing on care and support.

Purpose of the Community of Practice

The CoP has been established as a collaborative forum to bring together SWAST, care home providers, and system partners, including the South West Care Association Alliance, to:

• Share learning, experiences, and best practice across organisations.
• Support joint reflection and continuous improvement in how we work together.
• Promote consistency and clarity in safeguarding practice and communication.
• Enable open information sharing to support better, more informed decision-making.
• Develop and share practical resources, including case examples and tools, to address common challenges and embed a culture of learning across the system.

The Community of Practice includes representation from all SWAST localities and is supported by care home provider associations and care home support teams. Meetings are held quarterly and facilitated by the BNSSG Safeguarding Specialist, ensuring a consistent and inclusive approach to shared learning.

Areas of Focus for Future Development

The CoP will continue to evolve through co-production and shared priorities, with early areas of focus including:

• Practical, joint training on calling 999 and remote clinical assessment, supporting appropriate escalation and confident decision-making.
• Co-creation of an SBARD (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Decision) communication template, working with provider networks and the South West Care Association Alliance to support consistent adoption and spread. 
• Ongoing development of shared learning resources and reflective practice tools, informed by real-world experiences across services.

A Collective Commitment to Better Outcomes

The establishment of the CoP represents a positive and proactive step towards a more connected and collaborative system. By working better together, strengthening relationships, and sharing knowledge openly, partners are building a more consistent, supportive, and effective approach to care.

This collective effort will help ensure that individuals living in care homes receive timely, appropriate, and person-centred support—ultimately improving experiences and outcomes for residents, families, and professionals across the South West.