About us

The Cleft Registry and Audit NEtwork (CRANE) is a national registry and clinical audit run by the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS).

The CRANE Database collects information about all children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  This database was set up by the Department of Health in 2000.

Typically, children with a cleft lip and/or palate need a mixture of care, from birth to adulthood, from professionals from different disciplines. This is why it is important to record information on these children from birth or diagnosis, to inform their care.

The database is funded by the National Health Service through the Specialist Service Commissioners, who have responsibility for the delivery of care to children born with cleft lip and palate in England and Wales. An independent body, the Cleft Development Group, which represents patient representative groups, clinicians and commissioners, has the overall responsibility for running the database.