25.08.17
RCN warns of risk to children as school nurse numbers plummet
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has today warned that children with asthma, epilepsy and diabetes are being put seriously at risk as schools are increasingly having to lose their resident nurse.
Due to the accelerating rate of nurses leaving schools, the RCN says that teachers are being left without vital training, and pupils without necessary support.
The college went on to say that if services continue to deteriorate, pupils with serious health conditions may not be able to attend mainstream schools due to the risk of there not being a nurse to hand.
New data published by the NHS showed that more than 550 school nurses have been lost since 2010, amounting to almost a fifth (19%) of the total workforce in England.
In particular, the fall has gathered in recent months, as more than a hundred nurses have been lost across England in this year alone.
Almost a quarter of 11-15 year olds in England have a long-term illness or disability, with many suffering from conditions like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and arthritis.
Nurses are vital in helping these children as they are trained to identify warning signs, administer lifesaving treatment and administer medicine at the right time of day.
The RCN’s professional lead for Children and Young People’s Nursing Fiona Smith said: “It would be completely unjust if a child couldn’t participate in school life because of their health condition. Every child has the right to an education and it is the Government’s responsibility to make that happen.
“With school nurse numbers at their lowest in years, it soon won’t be possible to provide the care these children need within the school environment,” she added. “Cuts to public health budgets are leaving whole communities without the care they need and this is limiting the opportunities of thousands of children.
“It is time the government wakes up and realises the hugely detrimental impact these cuts are having to our children and our society. School nursing is a critical service and it needs to be treated as such.”
Lisa Thurston’s son Owen is epileptic, and has found the school’s support to be absolutely critical to managing his condition as effectively as possible.
“We were very lucky that Owen got this crucial care, but diminishing school nursing teams will have a serious impact on similar children with health conditions,” she said.
“Many schools don’t have any emergency medication training or are forced to pay for it. There’s also a lack of general awareness training for staff on the wider impact of the condition on the individual child, such as the side effects of their medication, or the anxiety of their illness.
“As a parent and a school governor, it is frightening to see the difference between statutory guidance and what care is actually available. Every child deserves to be safe at school and without the right health care staff I just don’t think this will be the case.”
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