Every nurse is accountable for their decisions and actions. It is a professional responsibility, and statutory duty, to uphold the human rights of people for whom they care. This part of their role is often referred to in terms of ‘advocacy’ and ‘safeguarding’. On occasion, nurses will likely be faced with the need to express their concerns about aspects of care/treatment or suspected neglect/abuse of vulnerable people in a range of care settings. These might be in relation to perceived organizational shortcomings or failures, or specific to the circumstances of one person. In taking action, it is important that nurses adhere to local policies and follow appropriate channels of communication. This chapter focuses on two contemporary social and healthcare concerns where there is the potential for criminal justice involvement|—‘hate crime’ and ‘elder abuse’.
