Reading List

This Reading List supports learning from the course Adult Safeguarding for UK optical professionals and focuses on practical, UK-relevant guidance for clinical, domiciliary and dispensing contexts.

Core legal and statutory guidance

• Care and support statutory guidance Defines adult safeguarding duties under the Care Act, including principles and Section 42 enquiries relevant to raising concerns from optical practice.
• Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk in the NHS Sets out the NHS England safeguarding accountability and assurance framework for providers and commissioners (June 2024).
• Regulation 13: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment Explains the fundamental standard on safeguarding in regulated care settings and what providers must do when abuse is suspected (May 2025).

Professional standards for optical practice

• GOC Standard 11: Protect and safeguard patients, colleagues and others from harm Core professional duty to recognise risk, act promptly and keep adequate records in all optical settings.
• GOC guidance on consent Practical expectations for obtaining, recording and reviewing valid consent where capacity or coercion is in doubt.
• College of Optometrists: Safeguarding children and adults at risk Summary guidance and links tailored to safeguarding within optometric practice.

Capacity and consent

• Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice Authoritative guidance on assessing capacity and making best interests decisions, with clear recording expectations.
• SCIE: Assessing capacity Clear, practice-focused guide to the two-stage test and the four decision-making abilities with examples and tips.

Information sharing and record keeping

• ICO Data sharing: a code of practice Statutory code on sharing personal data lawfully and proportionately, including urgent one-off disclosures for safeguarding (May 2021).
• ICO lawful basis for processing Explains lawful bases such as public task and vital interests for information sharing in safeguarding contexts.
• The Caldicott Principles Eight principles for handling confidential patient information, including the duty to share for individual care (Dec 2020).
• Records Management Code of Practice National guidance on record-keeping and retention for health and social care, including safeguarding notes (Dec 2023 update).

Domestic abuse, coercive control and exploitation

• Domestic Abuse Act 2021 statutory guidance Home Office guidance on definitions, indicators and multi-agency responses, including economic abuse (updated 2023).
• Controlling or coercive behaviour: statutory guidance Framework for recognising and evidencing coercive control to support safeguarding and criminal justice responses (July 2023).
• Modern Slavery statutory guidance Comprehensive guidance on indicators, support, the NRM and duty to notify pathways (Aug 2025).
• Report modern slavery as a first responder How to report concerns and routes for non-first responders, including the Modern Slavery Helpline.
• Prevent duty guidance for healthcare professionals DHSC guidance for NHS and contracted providers on recognising susceptibility to radicalisation and using Prevent pathways (Oct 2024).

Domiciliary, care homes and lone working

• NICE guideline NG189: Safeguarding adults in care homes Recommendations on indicators, escalation and care home culture relevant to domiciliary clinics and care home visits (Feb 2021).
• HSE: Lone working Practical risk assessment and control measures for lone workers, including keeping in touch and responding to incidents (Mar 2025).
• Find your local council Use to locate safeguarding adults contact details, referral portals and out-of-hours numbers for your area.