3.7.3 General Practitioners, Dentists and Opticians |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure applies to all Looked After Children.
Contents
- Notifications and Registrations with GP's and Dentists
- Appointments with GP's, Dentists and Opticians
1. Notifications and Registration with GP's and Dentists
As soon as a child is placed in the Looked After Service, the social worker should notify the Designated Nurse for Looked After Children, giving all carer, GP and school details. The Designated Nurse will arrange for the child to have an Initial Health Assessment - see Health Assessments and Health Action Plans Procedure.
The social worker must additionally ensure, for all Looked After Children, that the child is registered with a GP and Dentist, preferably retaining registration with a practitioner known to the child. The social worker should liaise with the provider/carer to make these arrangements.
Details of the registration or any changes must be recorded, by the social worker, in the Essential Information Record.
The child’s GP should be recorded on Framework-I.
2. Appointments with GP's, Dentists and Opticians
If children appear to require or request it, appointments should be made for them to see their GP or other medical practitioners as appropriate.
When appointments are made, account should be taken of the child’s wishes, for example, to see a practitioner of a preferred gender. Also, appointments should preferably be made which do not disrupt the child’s education.
Parents and the child’s social worker should, if possible, be consulted before making appointments; and they should be informed of the outcome.
As appropriate, the Essential Information Record should be updated to take account of these appointments.
For children placed in foster care and residential care, these details must also be recorded in the relevant child’s Daily Record.
Dates of medical assessments, including dental checks, should be recorded in Framework-I.
End