FastTrack GP, operated by Healthwatch Limited, has a duty to protect children and adults at risk from abuse and neglect. This policy sets out how we discharge that duty across in-clinic and remote consultations.
Who's responsible
Safeguarding Lead: Kirren Schnack. All clinical staff have direct access to the Safeguarding Lead during operating hours. Out of hours, clinicians escalate to the on-call Mayfield Clinic safeguarding rota.
All clinicians at FastTrack GP hold safeguarding training to:
- Adults — Level 3 (intercollegiate framework)
- Children — Level 3 (intercollegiate framework — Safeguarding Children and Young People: Roles and Competences for Healthcare Staff)
Refresher training is completed at least every three years.
Statutory framework we work to
- Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004 — local authority duties and the principle that the welfare of the child is paramount.
- Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) — multi-agency working and information-sharing principles.
- Care Act 2014 — duty to safeguard adults at risk and the six safeguarding principles (empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership, accountability).
- Mental Capacity Act 2005 — assessing capacity, best-interests decisions, and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards where relevant.
- GMC Protecting children and young people: the responsibilities of all doctors (latest edition).
- Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (mandatory reporting duty for under-18s) and Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (Prevent duty).
What clinicians do
A clinician with a safeguarding concern will:
- Listen and document — record what was said, in the patient's own words where possible, in the clinical record.
- Assess immediate risk — if there is an imminent threat to life, call 999.
- Discuss with the Safeguarding Lead — same day where possible, before the patient leaves.
- Refer — to the relevant Local Authority Children's Social Care or Adult Safeguarding Team. We use the local authority of the patient's residence.
- Inform the patient where appropriate and safe to do so. We may share information without consent where the threshold is met under the Care Act 2014 or where a child is at risk.
- Follow up — record the referral, the response, and any agreed safety plan in the clinical record.
Information sharing
We follow the seven golden rules of information sharing in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023). Consent is preferred but is not required where:
- there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering, or is at risk of suffering, significant harm, or
- an adult at risk lacks capacity to consent, or
- sharing is necessary to prevent serious harm to the patient or a third party.
Reporting a concern to us
If you have a safeguarding concern about anything you've seen on this site or during an appointment, contact the Safeguarding Lead via info@mayfieldclinic.co.uk marked For the attention of the Safeguarding Lead — confidential.
For an immediate risk to a child or adult, call 999. To raise a concern with a local authority directly, contact the relevant council's Children's Social Care or Adult Safeguarding Team.
You can also raise concerns about service safety with the Care Quality Commission at cqc.org.uk.
Last reviewed: 28 April 2026.