Gt Ormond St warning on child protection

HEALTH bosses admitted concerns over the Haringey hospital that failed to spot Baby P's broken back in the months before the toddler was killed.

Baby P died just two days after a doctor employed by Great Ormond Street Hospital but working at St Ann's Hospital, Tottenham, missed his injuries.

Dr Sabah al-Zayyat had her contract terminated in May in the wake of Baby P's death.

But it emerged today that Great Ormond Street had expressed concern over "child protection issues" in its partnership with Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust, which runs St Ann's.

The minutes of a meeting in November 2006 reveal concerns raised by health bosses over extending the partnership between Great Ormond Street and St Ann's - initiated in 2003 as a response to the murder of Victoria Climbié.

The minutes of the trust's board meeting on extending the partnership state: "Some concerns were expressed, viz: managing staff across multiple sites; possible difficulty in imbuing a dispersed workforce with [Great Ormond Street] standard and values; how to effectively monitor child protection issues; and a current lack of financial information."

Baby P, who was already suffering from a broken back and fractured ribs, was taken to the child development centre at St Ann's on 1 August last year, where he was seen by Dr al-Zayyat.

But the consultant paediatrician, who lives in Ilford, decided not to carry out a full examination of the boy because he was "miserable and cranky".

The Saudi-born, Pakistan-trained doctor now faces a General Medical Council investigation.

Great Ormond Street said today that the trust board had noted at the time concerns "about how to effectively monitor child protection issues".

The trust said there was concern about integrating two existing monitoring systems, which managers insisted were both "effective".It dismissed any suggestion that child protection at either hospital was "inadequate". The trust added in a statement: "In practice it has not been necessary to change procedures, as both systems are compatible."

Great Ormond Street became involved in running community child health services in the borough in July 2003.

Paediatric services had previously been provided by Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust. The change happened a year after the conclusion of Lord Laming's inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie - which condemned the failings of child protection in the borough.

However, Great Ormond Street said the move had been because of government policy that the trust should "divest itself of providing services".