Drive to make school nurses more accessible and confidential: UK

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 14 2012

As part of a scheme by the Department of Health students may be getting to know their school nurses better. Using technology such as text messaging, emails and mobile phone apps to contact their school nurse could be used to overcome problems of setting up appointments.

Andrew Lansley, health secretary, believes that the plans are part of a long-term vision to get young people more engaged with their school or college nurse. It plans to make sure health workers have a bigger role in the patient's life as well improving the standard of care for adolescents.

Mr. Lansley believes that school nurses have a vital role to play within the health system and this new service will cut out any embarrassment some students may have when making appointments. He said, “School nurses are hugely important they can give young people advice on all aspects of health care. We're going to work with school pupils to look at more innovative ways to get advice and support from school nurses.” Ministers consulted 300 young people when drawing up the plans.

The Royal College of Nursing, which represents school nurses, said more nurses were needed on the ground. Sharon White, professional officer at the School and Public Health Nurses Association, said school nurses had a special role as they are the only health professionals that work with five to 19-year-olds. Although every child is entitled to receive a school nursing service, not every school has a dedicated school nurse, and more should be commissioned to work in more schools, she said.

Some nurses work across 10 to 12 schools in the state sector. Other schools may employ their own school nurses and some will have nurses commissioned by the local Primary Care Trust. The independent school sector provides their own school nurses.

Mr. Lansley said the key to the new plan was communication. Viv Bennett, director of nursing at the Department of Health, said it had listened to the views of families, young people and school nurses. Three hundred young people have offered to become “school nurse champions” and help shape the way the new school nursing plan is implemented. She said, “We are updating the plan in response to their views. They wanted to make school nursing more accessible and confidential, more 'in sync with the way we live our lives', they told us.”

She said services had to be offered where and when they were needed, which could be at school but also at a drop-in centre in a local park, for example. But she said that school nurses would still provide the same basic services as before, such as injections, height and weight measurements and advice on smoking, obesity and teenage pregnancy.

Liam Preston, chairman of the British Youth Council, which provided feedback from young people, said too many young people were missing out on help from their school nurse. “Young people's voices need to continue to be heard following the launch of the school nursing strategy to ensure school nursing teams can use their skills and experience to make the maximum impact on improving youth health.”