I have worked with other health professional and social workers for a long time, and I think the problem is at least partly that political correctness has swung too far.
Wonderful principles such as clients'/patients'
rights and
choice and
confidentiality, which we all benefit from, fall short when those who are supposed to care for vulnerable people are a) too cruel and vicious to care and b) clever enough to conceal the evidence of their abuse.
Add to that health and social workers who are either too naive too know better or too scared to rock the boat, and legislations which make appropriate action more difficult, and you create the potential for such atrocities.
There is little known about this case so far, but in the case of baby P who died after months of horrendous abuse there is clear evidence of this.
Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat, the pediatrician who was the last person to see baby P only a couple of daysbefore his death, did not examine him properly because he 'seemed cranky' and thereby failed to spot injuries and take appropriate action which may have saved his life.

Social worker who visited found him covered in chocolate - which had been applied by his mother and her partner to hide bruises. 20 years ago social workers would have had the right and responsibility to clean such a child in order to carry out a proper examination. Today this would be frowned upon because it would potentially go against the families right to choice and privacy ... imsad
In the light of what happened to this child we might all be outraged and criticise the professionals. But chances are they acted according the the system they work in.
The whole work culture needs shifting - and both the health and social services are huge organisations which are difficult to change in a hurry ...