Regulator says NHS fails in child protection training

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today published a national review on child safeguarding in the NHS warning that barely a third of GPs are up to date in their child protection training.

The review found that just 35% of GPs have reached 'level 2' of child protection training, the required level for NHS staff who have regular contact with children and enables them to recognise child abuse.

Overall, only about 54% of staff in each NHS trust had been trained to the more basic level in child protection, the report said.

The review was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health as part of the response to the case of Baby P.

Cynthia Bower, CQC chief executive, said: "Immediately after the Baby P tragedy, everyone agreed that everything possible must be done to prevent a recurrence. This must not prove to be hollow rhetoric. The NHS has got to play its part by getting these safeguarding measures in place.

"It is clear that safeguarding has not been as high on the agenda of trust boards as it should have been. And that has meant, in some cases, that NHS staff have not been given the support they need in terms of training and clear procedures for handling concerns. If that were to change, it would be an appropriate legacy for Baby Peter. We will be using every tool at our disposal to make it happen."