Title: Safeguarding children and improving their care in the UK
Abstract: The Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015 came into force after it received Royal assent in the UK Parliament on March 26, 2015. 1 UK ParliamentHealth and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/28/contents/enacted/data.htmDate: 2015 Google Scholar One of its purposes is to enable integration of information for the users of adult health and social services in England and allow sharing of an individual's information for the purposes of providing health or social care services to that individual. The Act specifies that a consistent identifier for the individual must be included in the information processed provided that it facilitates the provision of services to the individual and is in his or her best interests. However, this provision only applies to information sharing between health and adult social care. Although an amendment was introduced in the House of Lords for similar use of a consistent identifier in children, it was not accepted. 2 UK ParliamentDaily Hansard. Clause 3: duty to share information. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/text/150313-0002.htmDate: March 13, 2015 Google Scholar Safeguarding children and improving their care in the UKImplementation of the Child Protection Information Sharing Project (CPIS) in England raises concerns about privacy, data accuracy, and how vulnerable groups will benefit from the initiative. Electronic sharing of information will only help children and young people if health professionals know how to interpret and use the information to intervene effectively. Health professionals might be falsely reassured that there are no underlying problems for the many abused or neglected children below CPIS thresholds (ie, those who are not looked after or subject to a child protection plan),1 and caregivers might be deterred from seeking health care as a result of the initiative. Full-Text PDF