The Department of Health requested guidelines in Nov 2005 - http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=291970
Doctors don't have to diagnose anything and can decide for themselves when medical investigations have gone far enough, (sometimes not very far at all) and then report an opinion of abuse when there is no medical explanation for the symptoms.(one wonders if there will be an end to the use of the word idiopathic with the advent of Fabricated or Induced Illness Guidelines) http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=idiopathic
The initial role for the Paediatrician is to find out whether a child’s illness and individual symptoms and
signs have an unequivocal explanation as a natural illness. If this is not clear the possibility of fabrication
or illness induction and the effect of this on the child has to be considered as part of the range of
possibilities. Psychiatrists and psychologists may be needed to look at the effects on the child, and
establish whether there are underlying disorders in the carer. Police must investigate a possible crime.
Social workers make an assessment of our concerns about the child’s welfare or the risk of harm and
provide support to parents during the assessment.
http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/publications/recent_publications/fii.pdf
This opinion of abuse is used freely as the doctors say it takes all agencies (police,social services,schools,health visitors,GPs,other medical practitioners) to decide if there was abuse - The social services however, even in the absence of other problems, are given guidelines that can NEVER ignore the opinion of the doctor.
A lose, lose situation for anyone accused by medics.
How does this differ from the US?