Residential care settings made most early referrals to the protection of vulnerable adults scheme despite serving a minority of users.

A King's College London study, commissioned by the government, of the first 100 cases found that 81 per cent of referrals come from care or nursing homes, even though 80 per cent of users receive community-based services.

Sheila Scott, chief executive of the National Care Homes Association, said the figures reflected greater awareness of Pova in residential care settings and the difficulty in spotting abuse by staff working in community settings.