Section 44 of the Care Act 2014

(1) A Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB) must arrange for there to be a review of a case involving an adult in its area with needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority has been meeting any of those needs) if:

a) there is reasonable cause for concern about how the SAB, members of it or other persons with relevant functions worked together to safeguarding the adult, and

b) either of the following conditions are met:

(2) Condition 1 is met if:

a) the adult has died, and

b) the SAB knows or suspects that the death resulted from abuse or neglect (whether or not it knew about or suspected there was abuse or neglect before the adult died).

(3) Condition 2 is met if:

a) the adult is still alive, and

b) the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect.

The Gateshead Safeguarding Adult Review and Complex Case Group (SARCC) will consider every SAR referral based on the criteria above.  If the criteria is fulfilled it will make a proposal to the Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Board that a "mandatory" SAR is undertaken.  If the criteria is not fulfilled, it may decide that there is still learning to be taken from the case and undertake a "discretionary" SAR.