The inner London borough of Hackney is one of the most densely populated in the capital, and the second most deprived local authority area in England. In November 2014 the Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Hackney became the first hospital in England to implement CP-IS.
Reggie Medina-Rios, former Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children at Homerton Hospital, describes how improved information sharing between health and social care is leading to better outcomes for vulnerable children.
"Child A arrived at our emergency department one evening and said she was finding it difficult to move, with pain in her lower back and right leg and occasional shooting pains and numbness.
"Child A said that on the previous day she had accepted a lift home from a friend. The driver had started to spin the car round and reversed it into another vehicle. Child A had felt a jolt and managed to climb out.
"The consultant diagnosed back strain (with or without sciatica), prescribed analgesia and referred her for physiotherapy. As the consultant discharged Child A, he noted the CP-IS flag on her patient record. So the consultant completed the safeguarding alert form and called the duty social worker.
"If you don't have this background information from CP-IS, children could be seen and sent home and no one would be any the wiser."
Reggie Medina-Rios
Former Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Homerton Hospital
"Child A was a looked after child placed in Hackney by Tower Hamlets social services. The duty social worker contacted the supported accommodation where Child A lived to make sure she was there and safe. He also contacted her social worker and school nurse and sent them the discharge summary.
"Without CP-IS, the consultant would not have had access to information about Child A's looked after child status and may have discharged her without follow-up.
"If you don't have this background information, children could be seen and sent home and no one would be any the wiser."