Official government statistics show that the NHS and Social Care made the majority of reports of abuse against alleged victims aged 16 – 64 years old in the reporting period 2024 – 2025 – yet – as usual the majority turned out to be baseless.
Health Staff in England made approximately 160,060 allegations (equating to 25% of all adult safeguarding concerns), while in Wales, Social Care Providers made approximately 38% (totaling roughly 5,800 allegations for this age group). In Northern Ireland, HSC Trust Professionals were the top reporter at 35% (totaling approximately 1,200 allegations), and in Scotland, Police Scotland remained a primary reporter for this age group, accounting for 23% of allegations totaling 14,626 referrals.
With over 70% of safeguarding concerns originating from the state to begin with, safeguarding has become an internal loop. It is a system where the state’s own professionals (Health & Social Care) generate 50% of the work, and the Police generate 20%. The ‘public’ are barely involved.
Similar to child abuse allegations where Schools make the most reports with the Police coming second, the drop-off rate for the number of investigations that go on to be substantiated is also mirrored.
In England and Wales, when abuse allegations are made in respect of a vulnerable adult, a concern is firstly raised and Local Authorities “the Councils” are tasked with deciding whether the threshold is met for a Section 42 Care Act enquiry. When comparing the number of concerns that are raised against how many progress to a Section 42 enquiry, in England 73% of allegations disappear into a black hole with roughly 90% of allegations made by health staff, most prevalently in the NHS, not meeting the statutory threshold despite the NHS being under constant financial pressure that has left political parties across the United Kingdom considering that the NHS itself is in “Intensive Care”. Yes, during 2024 – 2025, for every hour of every day, the NHS made 18 safeguarding allegations whilst the majority did not meet the statutory threshold for a safeguarding enquiry.
In Wales, the picture for baseless and unsubstantiated allegations is equally bleak where the government has been forced to admit that 85% of reports made regarding the potential abuse of vulnerable people aged 18 – 64 years old have not met the grade for a Section 42 safeguarding enquiry. In both England and Wales, without that enquiry, no further action can or will be taken. In Northern Ireland, the drop-off rate is roughly 82% demonstrating that, out of the tens of thousands of referrals, largely from Health and Social Care Professionals, only a small fraction result in a Protection Plan. Meanwhile, because Police Scotland are the primary reporter of abuse allegations for this group in Scotland, a shocking 88% of allegations are screened out at the initial screening stage because they do not meet the three point test relating to the person’s inability to safeguard themselves.
The public bodies that unceremoniously take the second place for the most reports involving allegations of abuse against 18 – 64 year olds is a mixed picture across England and the devolved nations. In England, the Police took second place making approximately 17 – 18% of allegations (totalling 110,000 allegations), In Northern Ireland, the Police made 22% of allegations (totalling 760 allegations), In Scotland Care Homes and Care Providers made 18% of allegations (totalling 11,476 allegations) and in Northern Ireland, the Police again took second spot making 22% of allegations (totalling 760 allegations).
This draconian picture shows that neighbours, friends and family members were responsible for only a tiny number of reports. Whilst it is important that abuse of any vulnerable group is exposed and stopped, the official statistics themselves show that the state is not providing a valuable community service, they are engaging in institutional surveillance where intrusion in the family unit is weaponised by the state and state-funded services.
Across England and the devolved nations, there is a clear uptick in finding people alleged to be the victims of abuse in safeguarding investigations to lack mental capacity.
In England and Wales, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Mental Health Act 2007 are often abused by Local Authorities in England and Wales to downplay the contradictory account of those alleged to have been abused in safeguarding allegations with the widespread use of gagging orders by the Court of Protection who prefer to refer to them as “Transparency Orders”, restricting reporting of proceedings, either in the media or even on social media by families or even the individual themselves affected. It is clear by this point that arrogant Social Workers, power-crazed Judges and the state consider that they should sit at the head of the family table and call the shots whilst acting as the “supervisor” of the person’s liberty over the person’s own family and, if all else fails, the state can expect the Courts to cover it up.
When the Mental Health Act 2007, was introduced in England and Wales, it cynically introduced what were called “Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards” which, in practice, gave the state powers to deny people their day to day liberties such as where they live, who they socialise with (including their own families) and what they spend their money on and to overrule the person alleged to have been the victim of abuse and their families who know best – supposedly in the “victim”s best interests. The Supreme Court decided in P v Cheshire West that a person is deprived of their liberty if they are 1) Under Continuous Supervision and Control and 2) Are not free to leave. Whilst it would be reasonable to assume that the people who are considered to lack mental capacity would be those who are unwell with mental health conditions, the lines are becoming increasingly blurred with many who are diagnosed with what were typically known as learning and developmental conditions and who are neurodivergent being captured whilst the number of diagnoses for learning and developmental conditions and Autism have sky-rocketted.
The UK government had, at the time of proposing the Mental Health Act 2007, estimated that there would be around 21,000 applications a year. The actual number of applications is now nearly 16 times higher than their own projections (332,455 applications in 2023 – 2024). This figure continues to grow in 2024 – 2025 although the statistics are not finalised.
The most recent data for the 2023 – 2024 period (released in late 2025) shows that 332,000 Deprivation of Liberty applications were made with the numbers continuing to rise during 2025. The 2024 – 2025 statistics are not yet finalised. Perhaps even more shockingly, only 19% of Deprivation of Liberty applications are completed within the 21 day timeframe leaving thousands of people unlawfully detained in a legal limbo for 12 – 18 months whilst waiting for the state to decide if they are “allowed” to be free.
Whilst the Adult DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) for the 2024/25 period is technically still in the pipeline (it’s provisionally set for release in March 2026), we can already see from sources including the English and Welsh Care Quality Commission (CQC) that in 2024 – 2025, the state funneled over 332,000 adults and even 1,280 children into the Deprivation of Liberty Machine given that the state has ran out of secure children’s homes with children being “detained” in Airbnbs, caravans, holiday rentals, and even hospital wards with 2-on-1 security guards because there is no other place for them to go with the Court granting the state’s request in the case of children in 89.9% of cases and where 97 – 99% of applications from the state are rubber stamped by the Courts.
In Northern Ireland, the country operates under the Mental Capacity Act (NI) 2016 where the system is even more dire. Instead of a court, such as the Court of Protection in England and Wales, the first line of “authorization” is an internal panel within the Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust with the state essentially policing itself. If the Deprivation of Liberty sought by the Northern Irish government is contested, it goes to the Family Division of the High Court of Northern Ireland. The Trust authorises it’s own Deprivation of Liberties in Northern Ireland in approximately 96 – 98% of cases, once the paperwork is submitted with the Court rubber stamping around 95% of cases and, in the case of children, the rubber-stamping rate is virtually identical to England and Wales at 90% meaning that there is little chance of successful legal challenge by the family. Additionally, Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK moving towards a “fusion” model – combining mental capacity and mental health into one test that allow the government to take control of a person’s life in what is already a closed-loop system.
In Scotland, they don’t use DoLS but the picture is no prettier. Instead Scotland uses the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 that has created “Welfare Guardianships”. As of November 2025, the Mental Welfare Commission reported that a record 20,152 adult Scots are now subject to Welfare Guardianship orders with decisions made by Sheriffs Courts with the approval rate by the Courts being virtually 100%. Additionally, Scottish Local Authorities are aggressively moving in and pushing to have them converted to Local Authority Guardianships, particularly where families disagree with the Social Worker.
For Scottish children under 16, Local Authorities use Compulsory Supervision Orders (CSOs). In Scotland, if they want to “lock the door” they are also mandated to apply for a Secure Authorisation from a Children’s Panel. The Social Workers recommendations were followed in in 90% of cases in 2024 – 2025.
Whilst, in all of the countries they would say that they appoint independent Advocates to ensure that the rights of the individual are represented, these so-called independent Advocates are commissioned and funded by the same Local Authorities or Health Boards who seek the deprivation of an individual’s liberty to begin with creating a fragrant conflict of interest whilst the organisations that the Advocates work for are often large charities with multi-million pound contracts.
For the adult deprived of their liberty, whether in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, the horrific experience is the same. The state obtain powers to control the person’s life, from where they live, health decisions such as the (sometimes forced) administration of medication, who they can socialise with and can result in the Court’s authorising vulnerable people to be physically pinned down on the floor if they attempt to reclaim their rights. For the families left behind, they can be cut off from their family members and told nothing whilst their lives are destroyed too.
Perversely, England and the devolved nations cry out that they are under-funded and cannot afford to offer appropriate levels of service within health and social care, yet, they afford to abuse the human rights of the most vulnerable in society and their families.
Safeguarding isn’t community protection; it’s institutional surveillance and it must stop now.
References:
1. Safeguarding Statistics (The “Internal Loop”):
1.1. England: Safeguarding Adults, England, 2024-25 (NHS England/DHSC, published late 2025). This confirms the 160,060 health staff referrals and the 25% share.
1.2. Wales: Social Services Activity, Wales 2024-25 (Welsh Government/Care Inspectorate Wales). Confirms the 38% provider-led reporting and the 85% NFA (No Further Action) rate.
1.3. Northern Ireland: Adult Safeguarding Statistics for Northern Ireland 2024/25 (Department of Health NI). Confirms Trust Professionals as top reporters (35%) and the 82% drop-off.
1.4. Scotland: Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Statistics 2024/2025 (Public Health Scotland/Mental Welfare Commission). Confirms Police Scotland at 23% and the 88% screening-out rate at the “Three Point Test” stage.
2. Deprivation of Liberty (The “Rubber Stamp”)
2.1. England/Wales (DoLS): Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments, England 2023-24 (and 2024/25 provisional updates). Confirms the 332,455 applications and the 19% completion rate.
2.2. Original 21k Projection: Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Mental Health Act 2007 (Department of Health). This is the source for the 21,000 estimate.
2.3. Cheshire West Ruling: P v Cheshire West and Chester Council [2014] UKSC 19.
2.4. Court Approval Rates: Family Court Statistics Quarterly (Ministry of Justice, December 2025 release). Confirms the 89.9% rate for children and the 97-99% rate for adults in the Court of Protection.
3. Northern Ireland (The “Fusion” Model)
3.1. Legislation: Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.
3.2. The “Fusion” Reference: Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability (Northern Ireland).
3.3. Panel Stats: HSC Trust Performance Reports 2025. Confirms internal panel authorization rates.
4. Scotland (Guardianship)
4.1. Welfare Guardianship Totals: Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland: Welfare Guardianship Statistical Update (Published Nov 2025). Source for the 20,152 figure.
4.2. Local Authority Trend: MWC “State of the Nation” Report 2025. Documents the shift from private to state guardianship.
4.3. Children’s Orders: Children’s Social Work Statistics Scotland 2024-25. Confirms CSO and Secure Authorization rates.
4.4. Cross-Border Placements: The Cross-border Placements (Effect of Redacted Orders) (Scotland) Regulations 2026.
5. Advocacy Conflict of Interest
5.1. Statutory Duty: Care Act 2014 (Section 67) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (Section 35).
5.2. Funding Evidence: Local Authority “Contracts Registers” (Publicly available via Proactis/Find a Tender). These show the multi-million pound contracts awarded to large national charities by the Councils they monitor.