Reading List

A curated Reading List to support adult safeguarding awareness for reception, care navigation, call-handling and frontline admin roles in general practice.

The sources below support the adult safeguarding principles used in this learning. Local policy, safeguarding partnership guidance and practice procedures should always be followed alongside national sources.

1. General Practice and Healthcare Safeguarding

• RCGP - Safeguarding standards for general practice
  UK-wide standards for safeguarding in general practice, covering whole-practice systems, roles, responsibilities and training expectations.
  https://www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/safeguarding-standards

• RCGP - Level 2 safeguarding standards for general practice
  Role-specific standards for staff who contribute to safeguarding in general practice, including care navigators, reception and administrative staff. Useful for understanding Level 2 expectations around recognising concern, responding within role boundaries and escalating promptly.
  https://www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/safeguarding-standards-level-2

• CQC - GP mythbuster 25: Safeguarding adults at risk
  England GP guidance on adult safeguarding expectations and training levels for practice staff, and on maintaining clear routes for reporting concerns.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/gps/gp-mythbusters/gp-mythbuster-25-safeguarding-adults-risk

• NHS England - Safeguarding in GP electronic patient records
  Guidance on recording safeguarding information in GP electronic patient records, including considerations for online and proxy access and record visibility.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/safeguarding/

2. Adult Safeguarding Law and Four-Nations Routes

• GOV.UK - Care and support statutory guidance
  England statutory guidance including adult safeguarding duties under the Care Act framework. Relevant to identifying an adult at risk and making a safeguarding enquiry.
  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance

• GOV.WALES - Safeguarding guidance
  Welsh safeguarding guidance for adults and children, including reporting and practice resources.
  https://www.gov.wales/safeguarding-guidance

• Scottish Government - Adult support and protection
  Scottish overview of adult support and protection arrangements and adult-at-risk criteria.
  https://www.gov.scot/policies/social-care/adult-support-and-protection/

• Department of Health Northern Ireland - Adult Safeguarding: Prevention and Protection in Partnership
  Northern Ireland policy documents on adult safeguarding and partnership working.
  https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/adult-safeguarding-prevention-and-protection-partnership-key-documents

3. Information Sharing and Records

• GOV.UK - Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners
  Practical advice on sharing information for safeguarding children, young people, parents and carers; the principles are also relevant to multi-agency adult safeguarding decisions.
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-practitioners-information-sharing-advice

Use these sources to inform local training, safe-contact procedures, record visibility decisions, safeguarding supervision and reflection on first-contact practice.