WIREDGOV

The One Wales commitment to ensure that every secondary school in Wales has a school nurse is expected to be achieved by the end of this Assembly, the Health Minister, Edwina Hart, announced today.

The Welsh Assembly Government had committed to a school nurse for each of Wales’s 223 secondary schools, and the final three remaining posts are expected to be filled during April 2011.

Mrs Hart said:

“Delivering on our commitment to provide a school nurse for every secondary school in Wales will lead to greater consistency of the service across Wales, improving the health of children and young people.

“School nurses have a mix of skills and expertise, covering public health, health surveillance, health promotion, health protection, safeguarding, and supporting children and young people with medical, special and complex health needs.

“It is widely accepted that schools that promote the health and well-being of children and young people are more likely to create an effective learning environment, and school nurses will contribute towards that.”  

The nurses’ role is to help address the health, emotional and social needs of children and young people and promote healthy behaviour and well-being. It will address the needs of all pupils regardless of their school attendance and will include services outside school hours and during school holidays where required.

The Welsh Assembly Government has provided additional funding to local Health Boards to enable them to employ specialist community public health school nurses (SCPHN) and registered nurses. The Health Boards will sustain the newly-created posts into the future.