Part 2
Over the next few days, Dr Pai attempts to call Mrs Smith and finally manages to speak to her on the phone two weeks after their initial consultation. He explains that he would like to see her again so he can speak to her in more depth about the diet and its effect on her children. He also tells her that he would like to speak to her about her own health more generally. Mrs Smith insists that she is fine, that she knows what is best for her family, and does not need to return to the surgery.
Dr Pai decides to involve the practice health visitor to help with monitoring the effects of the diet on the family as a whole. The health visitor attempts to make contact with Mrs Smith several times over the next two weeks, but her calls are not returned. She also tells Dr Pai that a separate routine health visit to Mrs Smith’s youngest child is due and that her attempts to arrange this over the past month have been unsuccessful.
What should Dr Pai do next?
- Should he continue to try to engage Mrs Smith?
- Should he seek advice from his named or designated doctor for child protection, or an experienced colleague?
- Should he involve other agencies?
In paragraph 43 of Protecting children and young people: the responsibilities of all doctors, we say that if doctors consider abuse or neglect as a possibility, but do not think the child or young person is at risk of significant harm, they should discuss their concerns with a named or designated professional or lead clinician or, if they are not available, an experienced colleague. If possible, doctors should do this without revealing the identity of the patient concerned.