Doctors advised on how to protect children

Monday 3 September 2012

A medical watchdog has published new guidance to help doctors protect children from abuse and neglect.

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The advice from the General Medical Council (GMC), which comes into effect today, is designed to give doctors the confidence to act when they need to and makes clear where they can turn for support.

The guidance, Protecting Children And Young People: The Responsibilities Of All Doctors, was produced following a two-year working group chaired by senior family judge Lord Justice Thorpe after hearing evidence from a range of child protection experts.It comes as a survey by website Netmums, commissioned by the GMC, found 94% of parents agreed that doctors had a duty to find out if a child was at risk – even when they were treating adult patients.Some 1500 parents responded to the survey, which looked at their experiences of when their child was taken ill or injured and how they thought doctors should act if they suspected abuse or neglect.More than 90% said they wanted their doctor to alert them immediately if they were concerned there was a risk of abuse or neglect.The guidance makes clear that if doctors are treating an adult patient, they must consider whether the patient poses a risk to children or young people.Doctors must be able to identify risk factors in a patient's environment, and also keep an open mind about the possible cause of an injury or other sign that may indicate abuse or neglect.GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: "Child protection is a difficult area of practice, complicated by uncertainty and often very emotionally challenging."Parents and carers need to have full confidence that if there are any issues raised about the safety of their child, their doctor will take the right course of action."People wishing to read the guidance should visit: www.gmc-uk.org/ childprotection

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Health

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Doctors advised on how to protect children

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