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NSPCC advice to help professionals spot head and spinal injuries

The NSPCC today (Tuesday 14 April) launches advice to help doctors, social workers, police officers and other professionals recognise signs of inflicted head and spinal injuries in children.

Each week at least three babies and toddlers are hospitalised due to deliberate head injuries including bruises, burns, fractures of the skull and facial bones and brain injuries but others may remain hidden.

Among recent child death cases, the Baby P tragedy shows that even serious injuries can be missed. Baby P was repeatedly seen by medical staff with head injuries during the last 10 months of his life. The paediatrician who saw him the day before his death failed to spot his broken spine. A post mortem examination revealed a broken back, ribs and severe head injuries.

NSPCC director of training and consultancy Enid Hendry said: "Babies and toddlers are an extremely vulnerable group; they are fragile and need to be handled with care. Shaking and throwing a baby can cause irreparable harm to a child. If their injuries are not picked up they won't get the immediate treatment which could save their life." The NSPCC Core Info leaflet is a summary of what is currently known about head and spinal injuries by the Welsh Child Protection Systematic Review Group. It will help GPs, paediatricians, accident and emergency staff, health visitors, social workers and other professionals to recognise the signs and take the most appropriate action.

Head and spinal injuries is the fifth in the CORE-INFO series, produced by the NSPCC in partnership with the Department of Child Health, Cardiff University. Previous leaflets covered thermal injuries, bites and oral injuries, bruising, and fractures.

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