Editor,—The personal practice article by Chambers and Panting provided helpful information about the consent issues that surround the examination of young children.¹ However, it failed to touch on the specific problems encountered by those working in the school health service, who may find themselves examining unaccompanied children.

In April 1994, Salford Community Healthcare Trust received a complaint about the school entry medical examination of a 4 year old boy that had included examination of the child’s genitalia. The parents had been sent a covering letter explaining that the child would have a full medical examination, and had signed and returned the consent form stating that they would not attend the medical. Following their complaint, the doctor concerned was suspended until the social services department had completed inquiries into the implied allegation of sexual abuse. The complaints procedure dragged on until December 1995, when external adjudicators vindicated the doctor and commented that the trust’s paperwork relating to school entrant medical examinations was as good as that in …