Safeguarding at Holes Lane Medical Centre
Keeping children, young people and adults safe from harm
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding means keeping people safe from harm. It is about protecting children, young people and adults from abuse or neglect and making sure they can live free from fear and harm.
Types of abuse
Children and young people may experience:
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Emotional abuse
Domestic abuse
Bullying and cyberbullying
Child sexual exploitation
Child trafficking
Criminal exploitation and gangs
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
Grooming
👉 More information:
Adults may experience:
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Domestic abuse
Psychological or emotional abuse
Financial or material abuse
Modern slavery
Discriminatory abuse
Organisational or institutional abuse
Neglect
Self-neglect
👉 More information:
Who is responsible for safeguarding?
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
At Holes Lane Medical Limited:
Safeguarding Lead: Dr Madhuri Khandavalli
Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Lisa Rowland
All of our staff are trained in safeguarding and will act if they are worried someone is at risk.
How do we safeguard patients?
We work in partnership with:
Health visitors, school nurses, midwives, paediatricians, and mental health teams
Local authority children’s and adults’ social care
Education providers
The police and other safeguarding agencies
No single agency can keep people safe on its own – working together is key.
If we are worried about a child or young person
Doctors and staff must act if they are concerned a child may be suffering abuse or neglect. This may include sharing information with social care or the police to make sure the child is protected.
👉 Guidance for parents: What to expect if your doctor is worried about your child’s safety (GMC)
If we are worried about an adult
If an adult may be at risk of abuse or neglect, we will:
Listen to them and take their views seriously
Ask what support they want (Making Safeguarding Personal)
Support them to feel safe and make their own decisions
Explain what will happen next
Share information with the right professionals if necessary to keep them or others safe
Capacity
Sometimes people cannot make decisions for themselves. This is called lacking capacity.
Capacity means being able to understand, weigh up and communicate a decision.
If someone lacks capacity, professionals must follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to make decisions in their best interests.
👉 More info: NHS – capacity
Information sharing
Keeping people safe often means sharing information with the right professionals. We will:
Ask for consent to share information wherever possible
Only share what is necessary and relevant
Sometimes share information without consent if there is a serious risk of harm, a crime, or a legal obligation
We follow national law, GMC guidance, and the Caldicott Principles.
What to do if you are worried about abuse
If someone is in immediate danger: Call 999
Worried about a child?
Children’s Social Care (MASH): 01925 443322 (Mon–Fri, office hours – select option 2, then option 1)
Out of hours: 01925 444400
Online referral: Make a referral
NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
Worried about an adult?
Adults Social Care (One Front Door): 01925 443322 (Mon–Fri, office hours – select option 2, then option 2)
Adults Social Care out of hours: 01925 444400
Adult Safeguarding Managers’ duty line: 01925 442115
Online referral form: Report adult safeguarding concern
Remember
Abuse is always wrong.
No one should have to live with abuse or neglect.
By reporting abuse, you can help bring it to an end.
At Holes Lane Medical Centre, safeguarding is a priority. If you are worried about yourself or someone else, please speak in confidence to any member of our team.
âś… This information is correct and up to date for Warrington, Cheshire as of October 2025.
