Exploring and Contextualising Expertise in Relation to the Safeguard Lead Nurse

Aim and objectives: The aim of this study is to understand what defines an expert practitioner within a safeguarding service. The objectives are to explore the concepts of ‘expertise’ and ‘the expert’, to determine what safeguarding leads perceive to be the characteristics of their role and to offer recommendations for supporting and developing the role of the Safeguard Lead Nurse (SLN) as an expert practitioner; a role that developed as a result of increased adult abuse. Methodology: A phenomenological approach using semi-structured interviews was used to explore purposively selected informants’ current practice as an SLN. The informants were selected purposively and several healthcare organisations were approached in order for them to allow their SLNs to take part. The information collected from the interview process was manually analysed using Framework, a manual method that can be used to examine and order data. Findings: It was determined that the notions of expertise and the expert practitioner develop from on-going practice, in-depth knowledge, related to a specific topic, and experience. It is these three factors that enable a practitioner to develop autonomy. However, it is their interest and personal motivation that drives their continued development, in a specialist area such as safeguarding vulnerable adults, and produces extensive relevant knowledge that others acknowledge as expertise. Conclusions: The findings demonstrated that expertise, experts and safeguarding vulnerable adults are social constructs that exist as a result of changing societal attitudes. As such, their definitions and understanding can change on a daily basis. SLNs have acquired relevant in-depth knowledge and experience in less than ten years and, as a result, are acknowledged as possessing more knowledge than others in this specialist area. SLNs face a challenge in developing this specialism due to its complexity, within a diverse multi-cultural society, while adhering to anti-discriminatory practice and upholding UK legislation.