Health Minister introduces groundbreaking Adult Protection Bill to Assembly

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has introduced a landmark piece of legislation to the Northern Ireland Assembly aimed at transforming adult safeguarding across the region.

The draft Adult Protection Bill, if passed, will significantly enhance existing safeguarding measures and place adult protection on a statutory footing for the first time in Northern Ireland.

The move follows serious failings at institutions such as Muckamore Abbey Hospital and Dunmurry Manor Care Home, which highlighted glaring gaps in the adult care system.

Minister Nesbitt stated:

“The failings that we have seen at places like Muckamore Abbey Hospital and Dunmurry Manor Care Home should never have happened in the first place and must never happen again.

“This Bill is an important step to take in transforming our social care system and I hope that it will help to rebuild trust amongst those who have been let down in the past.

“I look forward to engaging with MLA colleagues as the Bill makes its way through the legislative process.”

Core principles and legislative changes

The proposed legislation is grounded in seven key principles: prevention, autonomy, empowerment, dignity, proportionality, partnership, and accountability. These principles will guide all individuals and organisations involved in adult protection moving forward.

The Bill introduces new duties, powers and offences designed to protect vulnerable adults and bring Northern Ireland into alignment with adult safeguarding legislation in other parts of the UK.

The full draft Bill is available on the Northern Ireland Assembly website.

Learning from the past

The Home Truths Report, produced by the Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland (COPNI), and a subsequent independent review by CPEA, laid bare the failures in the region’s adult safeguarding system.

Both reviews strongly recommended legislative reform to ensure proper protections are in place.

Former Health Minister Robin Swann had already set the process in motion in 2020, launching a consultation on adult protection legislation. The consultation, which ran from December 2020 to April 2021, laid the groundwork for the current Bill.

Extensive stakeholder engagement

Throughout the development of the Bill, the Department of Health has worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders including statutory health and social care providers, the Commissioner for Older People, voluntary sector organisations, and individuals with lived experience and their families.

The Second Stage of the Bill is expected to be debated in the Assembly before the summer recess, after which it will move to Committee Stage, subject to MLA approval.

The introduction of the Adult Protection Bill marks a significant step in addressing past failures and ensuring that adult safeguarding in Northern Ireland meets modern standards of care, accountability, and dignity.