01 May 2009
By Gordon Carson
Charity Action on Elder Abuse has renewed calls for legislation on adult protection after revealing a huge variation in the effectiveness of local authority referral systems in England.
Research by the charity found that nine out of 10 adults who had been abused lacked support in England, with Norfolk Council supporting only 1.5% of older people, compared with nearly 41% in Halton, Cheshire.
The study, published today, is based on an analysis of local authority reports and consultation with adult protection and safeguarding staff.
But Action on Elder Abuse's chief executive, Gary FitzGerald, did not blame individual local authorities for lower rates of support. Instead, the differences reflected the lack of central government funding and compulsion on local agencies to work together.
The government is due to respond to the consultation on the review of the No Secrets adult protection guidance, which closed in January and attracted widespread calls to introduce adult protection laws. It said it would publish a summary of its response within three months, but a Department of Health spokeswoman said it was still considering its reply.
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