# Safeguarding policy
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:
1. **Listen and document** — record what was said, in the patient's own words where possible, in the clinical record.
2. **Assess immediate risk** — if there is an imminent threat to life, call **999**.
3. **Discuss with the Safeguarding Lead** — same day where possible, before the patient leaves.
4. **Refer** — to the relevant Local Authority Children's Social Care or Adult Safeguarding Team. We use the local authority of the patient's residence.
5. **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.
6. **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](mailto: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](https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/1-223402992).
_Last reviewed: 28 April 2026._