A petition has been launched urging the government to ensure every school across the UK has a dedicated school nurse.
Launched by the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA), the campaign seeks to ensure ‘critical support’ is given to school-aged children and young people facing issues such as obesity, mental health concerns and respiratory conditions.
The association said the move comes in response to a significant rise in children’s physical and mental health challenges and amid a decline in school nurse numbers.
According to SAPHNA, having a school nurse in every school would support prevention of ill health and health promotion, and also help with early detection and intervention for physical and mental health issues.
In addition, a dedicated school nurse would also help with safeguarding and reduce health disparities, particularly in underserved areas, it said.
Chief executive of SAPHNA, Sharon White, said: ‘By reinstating a school nurse in every school, we can ensure every child receives the care they need to thrive.’
The petition, which at the time of writing had almost 800 signatures, comes ahead of SAPHNA’s inaugural survey of school nurses, to be launched next month.
Sallyann Sutton, interim professional officer at SAPHNA, said the survey reveals that school nurses are constantly ‘firefighting’, and are caring for a growing number of children with increasingly complex needs.
Respondents also described their work as ‘reactive rather than preventative’, she added.
‘The reducing capacity in services means that school nurses struggle to fully deliver their wider public health role, [including] promotion, prevention, and early intervention,’ said Ms Sutton.
‘These are the elements of delivery where school nurses can make the biggest difference to the health and wellbeing of school aged children and young people.’
She stressed that while there were examples of good practice shared, the workforce is ‘tired and stressed’, risking ‘staff burnout, sickness and attrition’.
In March the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), the College of Medicine, and the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) teamed up to campaign for ‘a school nurse in every school’.
The leaders published a joint report based on a roundtable of nursing leaders, charities and government representatives – held in December – exploring concerning gaps in school nurse support.
Data from the organisations suggested there has been a 33% fall in the number of school nurses across England since 2009.
The SAPHNA petition will need 10,000 signatures in order to get a response from the government.
