Children’s hospital standards published

All hospital staff should have access to child protection advice
around the clock and a child protection protocol should be in
place, under new national standards for children’s services in
hospitals.

The hospital standard is the first part of the National Service
Framework for Children to be published. The remaining sections are
due out in the winter.

The standard’s section on the quality and safety of care
provided states that staff assessing children should know who to
contact in social services at any time if they have concerns about
a child’s safety, and that appropriate advice on child protection
should be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It adds that children’s records should be attributable to and
signed by a health care professional and countersigned by the
responsible consultant – a requirement for protecting children
highlighted by the Victoria Climbie Inquiry. It goes on to state
that it may be necessary to investigate children’s prior attendance
at other hospitals, particularly when there are protection
concerns.

Under the standard all hospitals are also required to have a
protocol in place drawn up and agreed by the trust board, with the
involvement of other local agencies secured through the Area Child
Protection Committee.

Draft standards on child and adolescent mental health, child
protection and disabled children were published alongside the
hospital standard.

The Standard for Hosptial Services and the NSF Emerging Findings
from www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/children/gettingtherightstart.htm