MORE than 3,000 safeguarding concerns were flagged about vulnerable adults in Worcestershire during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, figures show.

Age UK said abuse and neglect may have thrived behind closed doors throughout lockdown, contributing to a national rise in the number of concerns flagged with councils between April 2020 and March this year.

But NHS Digital figures show the number of concerns about vulnerable adults in Worcestershire fell during the period to 3,285 down from the 4,025 the year before – an 18 per cent drop.

Caroline Abrahams, from Age UK, said the abuse of older people was a serious concern, adding: "Hundreds of thousands of older people are being affected a year and we expect the pandemic to have made things worse.

"That's because of the heightened stress across our society and because abuse and neglect tend to thrive behind closed doors, of which there have been more than usual these last 18 months or so."

If councils believe a vulnerable adult is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, they must carry out a Section 42 enquiry to determine whether action should be taken.

Around 900 such enquiries were launched in Worcestershire during the year to March – more than the 490 that commenced in 2019-20.

The highest number of incidents took place in a person's own home with the source of risk most often someone the person knew.

In Worcestershire, there were 420 enquiries involving neglect or acts of omission, 230 concerning physical abuse, 225 about psychological abuse and 190 investigations into financial abuse.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said the government was supporting councils to carry out safeguarding duties effectively and had provided billions in non ring-fenced funding to allow local authorities to continue delivering services throughout the pandemic.