Plea for figures on doctors’ vacancies

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health wants clinical
directors to provide accurate figures on how many designated child
protection doctor posts are unfilled.

A spokesperson for the college said it was “very concerned” about
the number of vacancies, which could be as high as 30 per
cent.

Fears over complaints and the recent controversy over cot death
cases are factors in doctors’ reluctance to take up the posts in
primary health care trusts.

Guidance on confidentiality issues, which often make doctors wary
of passing on information, will be published soon, as will revised
guidelines on how to spot the physical signs of abuse in children.