Doctors should not fear reporting suspicions about child abuse, the regulator of the profession says.
The General Medical Council said high-profile cases and a concern about complaints by parents were deterring doctors from raising the alarm.
But it said new guidance it was issuing should give medics the confidence to act when they needed to.
The guidance stresses the need for doctors to consider the risk of child abuse in every case they see.
It also details when it is appropriate for doctors to share information about patients.
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