Four in 10 cases of alleged abuse of vulnerable adults occur in own homes

New NHS figures on the numbers of complaints that local councils receive on abuse of vulnerable adults show that four in 10 of the allegations centre on abuse in adults’ own homes.

The figures from the NHS Information Centre show that of the 94 200 alerts and referrals submitted to 101 councils that have adult social services responsibilities, a third (32 700) were about abuse in residential homes and 40% (39 300) concerned abuse in their own homes. The remainder (26%) were related to other healthcare settings, public places, and workplaces.

The collection of the figures was piloted among 31 councils in 2008-9 and then rolled …