The safety of the child overrides the GP's duty to the family and to maintain confidentiality. The guidance from the General Medical Council supports this view:
"Deciding whether or not to disclose information is particularly difficult in cases where a patient cannot be judged capable of giving or withholding consent to disclosure. Such situation may arise where a doctor believes that a patient may be a victim of abuse or neglect. In such circumstances, the patient's interests are paramount and will usually require the doctor to disclose information to an appropriate, responsible person or an officer of a statutory agency." - GMC
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