Whittington Health (WH) is responsible for providing mainstream school nursing services for school age children and young people. This includes those who attend state-funded/mainstream schools or in contact with the youth justice system. It is an all-year-round service with a small team providing cover during school holidays.

School nurses have an important public health role to deliver at school and the wider community to reach young people wherever they are. All schools are allocated a named school nurse in school clusters within a geographical area supported by a skill mix team.

The role of the school nurses includes:

• close working with health visiting services, forging links with GP's and children's social care - maximising support and community resources
• contributing to the healthy schools' agenda, supporting schools to deliver health and wellbeing board priorities for obesity and long-term conditions
• managing communicable diseases with timely responses to outbreak and control.

The service provides a range of universal service as set out in the Healthy Child Programme. The focus is on prevention and early intervention breaking the cycle of health inequalities.

This includes:

• regular meetings each term with the SENCO to identify needs
• liaison with HV service on school transfer
• NCMP
  • an annual height and weight check of all children in reception and year six
• school nurse weekly drop-in clinic at most secondary schools.

This level of service provides specific interventions for children and young people with additional health needs. A named school nurse works in partnership with schools and other education providers to ensure that the particular health needs of these vulnerable children and young people are met.

This includes:

• supporting long-term conditions
  • asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, Down's syndrome
• care plans
• school staff training
• youth offending service/PRU
  • a named nurse leads specifically leads on this caseload.

School nurses work in partnership with agencies in the provision of intensive and multi-agency packages of support where additional needs are identified. Some children and young people will have multiple needs with school nurses supporting and coordinating services under this caseload.

This includes:

• children and young people subject to CP plan
• children in need
• children looked after by local authority
• those at risk of CSE/FGM or gang affiliation.

All children and young people subject to a plan, or in need, have a named school nurse. The school nurses' level of contribution and involvement will be based on the level of health need according to local safeguarding policy.

The service receives Merlin, Mash and Marac reports via WH's safeguarding team. The school nurses triage individual reports and review the action to be taken in accordance to safeguarding policy and protocol.

The teams are based at three health centres and can be contacted directly for referral.

How to Refer