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Healthy Child Programme: final report

3.3.2. Family History

Following the consultation the project team recommended the following headings and definitions are used to record information about family history:

Family history
Condition or diagnosis The condition or diagnosis in family relations deemed to be significant to the care or health of the child.
Relationship to child The relationship of the person with the condition to the child.
Maternal or paternal relation Record of whether the condition or diagnosis was on the mother’s or father’s side of the family, where needed e.g. paternal grandfather.
Comment Any further textual comment.

The project team recommends that a SNOMED CT shortlist of preferred terms is created for common family history conditions. In line with the findings from the analysis the project team recommends the following conditions to be included in this shortlist:

  • Mental health problems
  • Learning disabilities
  • Eczema
  • Allergies
  • Epilepsy
  • Heart conditions
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Hearing deficits
  • Asthma
  • Diabetes

The maternity project should consider family history recorded at the maternity booking and how it can be communicated through to the child’s record.

Page last updated: 31 March 2026