Safeguarding children in London: CP24 electronic information system

Overview

Child Protection 24 is the first phase of an NHS London project to develop an IT solution to enable all relevant NHS staff to have 24 hour access to up-to-date child protection records. A business case has been drafted, based on the evaluation of the first phase, to secure the funds to roll-out the IT solution to the whole of London.

The challenge

Following the death of Baby Peter in Haringey, Lord Laming's inquiry recommended that A&E clinicians know in a timely fashion whether the child they are treating is subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP). In July 2009 NHS London was asked by the Secretary of State for Health to ensure that all relevant hospital staff had 24 hour access, preferably electronic, to up-to-date child protection records. Child Protection 24 (CP24) is the first phase of the project to address this Laming recommendation.

Project scope

NHS London commissioned the software company Oracle to develop an IT solution. A secure website called CP24 was designed (to hold only the fact that a named child is subject to a CPP) and the following approach taken:

1.      First phase

  • CP24 went live on 5 November 2009 in the boroughs of Haringey, Enfield and Islington
  • Each borough sends details of children subject to a CPP to CP24 at 5pm daily
  • Clinicians at the North Middlesex, Whittington and St Ann's Hospitals can access CP24 in a secure way
  • Key feature of CP24 is the ability to identify a child even if the carer is supplying (by accident or intentionally) misleading information

2.    Evaluate the first phase

  • By June 2010, there have been over 10,000 searches on CP24 at the Whittington and nearly 14,000 at the North Middlesex Hospitals
  • A qualitative survey of clinicians using CP24 showed that it was simple and quick to use – however it was acknowledged that NHS London's instruction to check all children was not universally accepted by clinicians
  • It was recommended that CP24 should be continued, but only if it:
    1. Covered the whole of London
    2. Integrated within the hospital IT system
    3. Sent a message to the local authority if a child subject to a CPP attended hospital
    4. Security was made more robust



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