Allegations of abuse against vulnerable adults using Swindon Borough Council's services have dropped from last year.

But, for the first time, neglect is the highest category of different types of abuse.

There have been a total of 1,143 allegations of abuse made for the year 2017-18. That's a three per cent drop on the previous year's figures of 1180 according to the annual report on safeguarding sdults in Swindon to be made to the borough council's health and wellbeing board at its meeting on Wednesday.

Despite the overall drop the allegations of neglect have jumped from 257 in 2016-17 to 305 in 2017-18.

The report says: "For the first time, neglect is the most frequent form of abuse reported to the local authority. This is more in line with national trends. In previous years, physical abuse was the highest abuse type.

It says neglect was often alleged to take place in the person's own home and adds: "Of those 157 cases family members were considered to be the source of the risk in 56 of them. 36 cases were regarding neglect caused by members of staff, mostly from domiciliary care agencies."

The report gives a case study of a care agency putting in a safeguarding referral because its staff were concerned about a man neglecting his wife.

Its staff were worried about the man, who is his wife's main carer, "not looking after her well and being rough with her when moving her from her bed to her chair.

"In discussion it transpired he was keen to get everything done before the care staff arrived and was rushing. His view is that it is his job to attend to his wife and it appeared he wanted to prove he did not need outside help."

After a meeting between council staff and the man and his wife, care staff agreed to work more alongside the man and not 'take over' and he has allowed them to complete tasks he used to do.

Allegations of physical abuse dropped between the two years from 306 cases to 261, financial abuse allegations dropped from 233 to 206, allegations of psychological abuse increased by one to 176, allegations of sexual abuse increase from 57 to 65 and self-neglect claims dropped by 12 to 123.

Partners are alleged to have committee the abuse in 14 percent of cases, with other family member, excluding parents or carers, said to have done so in 14 percent. Staff, such as care staff were alleged to have committed abuse in 13 per cent of cases, a small decrease from previous years

The board meets at 2pm tomorrow, Wednesday December 12. Members of the public are entitled to attend.