Adult Social Care Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

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Our duties

The council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 to safeguard adults at risk.

Our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the first point of contact to assess any well-being concerns for vulnerable adults. The Adult’s MASH is a team of professionals, from a range of organisations, who work together to protect adults who may be at risk of abuse, harm, or neglect.

We use and share your personal data to provide early intervention with the adult at risk at the centre of the enquiries. This also helps to reduce inappropriate referrals and re-referrals.

Personal information collected 

  • name
  • address and contact details
  • date of birth
  • financial information
  • equalities information
  • health and medical information  
  • Social Services Records 
  • information from the local authority from where you live and previously lived
  • family and relationship information
  • NHS number
  • support network
  • criminal and prosecution information 
  • referral and assessment information
  • education information 
  • housing information  

Who we share information with

The Adults MASH works by having representatives of several organisations sharing data regularly as part of deciding whether support or intervention is needed. This includes the police and health services.

We also share data with:

  • police and fire service
  • health agencies or GP
  • your legal representatives 
  • government departments like the Department of Health, Department of Education 
  • professional regulatory bodies like the Care Quality Commission 
  • council legal service
  • other local authorities
  • voluntary agencies and third sector
  • housing providers like Barnet Homes including to help them understand your Health or Social Care needs if you are being affected by an eviction or a decant of one of their buildings
  • care homes or residential facilities
  • office of the Public Guardian

Our work with health colleagues

To provide linked and person-centred social care, we work closely with NHS colleagues. These agencies include:

  • health care agencies and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG)
  • practitioners, acute health services, specialist health professionals, GPs, and district nurses
  • health staff in hospitals via our hospital social work teams
  • hospital admissions services to be aware when someone we work with is admitted 
  • health colleagues in our integrated Mental Health Service
  • health colleagues in our integrated Learning Disabilities Service

We share information about how your cases are managed to enable us to work together and provide the best possible service to you.

We will work with you to choose what, if any, information about you that we provide to your family, friends, and support network. 

The National Data Opt-Out

The National Data Opt-Out applies to the NHS and some of the activities of the council. If you are happy with use of your data for research and service planning, you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

Health agencies and councils must check the NHS National Data Opt-Out system before using your data for research or planning. 

You can change your national data opt-out choice at any time by using the online NHS service at or by selecting on "Your Health" in the NHS App, and selecting "Choose if data from your health records is shared for research and planning".

Legislation that applies

  • Care Act 2014 (Encourages caregivers to adopt a person-centred approach with vulnerable Safeguarding adults)
  • The Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015 (a duty on health and adult social care providers to share information about a person's care with other health and care professionals)
  • Health and Safety Care Act 2012 (Legal duties about health inequalities)
  • Equalities Act 2020 (established equality duties for all public sector bodies which aim to integrate consideration of the advancement of equality into the day-to-day business of all bodies subject to the duty)
  • Health Act 2009 Chapter 3 (Direct Payments - the electronic transfer of funds to make payments)
  • Mental Health Act 1983, 2007 (Is designed to give health professionals the powers, in certain circumstances, to detain, assess and treat people with mental disorders in the interests of their health and safety or for public safety)
  • Local Safeguarding Children & Adults Boards Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/90)
  • Mental Capacity Act 2005: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
  • Social Security Administration Act 1992 (the main piece of legislation dealing with the administration of social security benefits)
  • Housing Grants and Regeneration Act (revised 2016)

How long we keep your information for

In most circumstances, we retain your information for 10 years. 

If your support or service is assessed as Adult Protection (Safeguarding), we retain your information for 10 years from last contact or 10 years from date of death.  

For clients receiving support from the Mental Health Service, we retain your information for 20 years from last contact or 10 years from date of death. 

If you have made a complaint, sent us a compliment, or made representation, we retain your information for 10 years from last contact or 10 years from date of death.  

For services involving financial assessments and invoicing, we retain your documentation for 10 years from last contact or 10 years from date of death.

For Deputyship, Property and Protection, we retain your data for 10 years from last contact, a nil balance, or date of death.