Safeguarding adults at risk of abuse: identifying educational gaps amongst hospital staff to guide training

BACKGROUND: Safeguarding refers to the protection of health and wellbeing and enabling “life free from harm, abuse and neglect” (Safeguarding People 2019). In Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) drafted a revised 2019 policy to replace the original policy on safeguarding adults at risk of abuse. A Safeguarding Committee was founded in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin to prepare for policy implementation and staff training. AIMS: To establish staff awareness and understanding of safeguarding to guide training and policy implementation. METHOD: Cross-sectional study of 223 hospital staff using a 10-question paper survey. RESULTS: Suboptimal awareness of the revised HSE policy, reporting structures and confidence levels amongst staff. In-person and online training identified as the most popular methods of learning. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and confidence gaps can be addressed in future training. Identifying education gaps will help guide training and policy implementation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11845-022-02965-4.