Health Minister, Dr Dan Poulter has announced plans for a new system to help doctors and nurses spot children suffering from abuse and neglect, which will be rolled out in 2015.
Doctors and nurses using the system in emergency departments or urgent care centres will be able to see if the children they treat:
• Are subject to a child protection plan or being looked after – which means they have already been identified by the authorities as being at risk.
• Have frequently attended emergency departments or urgent care centres over a period of time – which can be an indication of neglect or abuse.
Dr Dan Poulter commented: “Until now, it has been hard for frontline healthcare professionals to know if a child is already listed as being at risk or if children have been repeatedly seen in different emergency departments or urgent care centres with suspicious injuries or complaints, which may indicate abuse. Providing instant access to that information means vulnerable and abused children will be identified much more quickly – which will save lives.” Under the new system, when a child arrives and is logged in at an emergency department or urgent care centre reception, a flag will appear on the child’s record if they are subject to a child protection plan or are being looked after by the local authority. Doctors and nurses will be able to use this information as part of their overall clinical assessment, along with information about where and when children have previously been receiving urgent treatment. This will help them build up a better picture of what is happening in the child’s life so they can alert social services if they think something might be wrong – improving links between the NHS and social services.
