One school nurse for 6,900 children
2 April 2009
Unite calls for urgent
recruitment programme
One specialist school nurse is looking after an estimated 6,900
children in England, according to Unite, the largest union in the
country, which is calling for a massive recruitment campaign.
The latest NHS workforce statistics, based on September 2008
figures, reveal that there were 1,062 full-time equivalent (FTE)
school nurses in England – an increase of 169 (FTEs) on the
previous year. There are an estimated 7.3 million school-aged
children in England.
Unite said this works out that each school nurse has to look
after, in theory, 6,900 children.
Unite welcomed the small increase in school nurse numbers, but
said that the workforce was faced with ‘a double whammy’.
These are the increasing workloads due to government public
health targets, such as the cervical cancer immunisation for
teenage girls; while, at the same time, ministers have
reneged on the pledge to have a specialist school nurse for every
secondary school and its cluster of primary schools by 2010 – just
nine months away.
Unite is concerned that the current government thinking is a
'school health team' in every local area, without specifying the
size of that area and therefore jettisoning the 2004 promise that
the 3,200 secondary schools in England would have a school nurse
specialist by 2010.
Unite National Officer for Health, Karen Reay said: ‘The
frightening reality is that no school nurse can give the level of
care and attention required by today’s school-aged children with
such crushing workloads.’
‘The figure of 6,900 is purely illustrative, but gives a graphic
image of what our members are facing on a daily basis. Parents
should be made aware of this, as it impacts on their son or
daughter’s well-being.’
‘Government must meet the challenges that its own targets have
set, such as the cervical cancer programme, and embark on a
large-scale recruitment drive for school nurses
immediately.’
Unite Professional Officer for School-Aged Children Ros Godson
said: ‘We have repeatedly called for the immediate employment of
2,000 more qualified school nurses in England to give advice on
issues, such as teenage pregnancy, and alcohol and drug
misuse.’
Unite has also called on the government to ensure that all 152
primary care trusts in England commit money to each train ten new
school nurses from September 2009.
-ends-
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
The Department of Children, Schools and Families information is
available on its research and statistics gateway website at
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml.
(DCSF: Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools
in England: January 2008).
If you click the Excel link for the Additional National Tables,
then Table A1 has the information you need. Data from the
2009 census will be published at the end of this month.
For further information, please ring: Karen Reay 07798 531 004; Ros
Godson 07764 655 762 (mobile); Shaun Noble Communications
Officer 020 7420 8951 (direct line) or 07768 693 940
(mobile)
Unite/CPHVA press releases can be seen on the CPHVA website:
www.unitetheunion.org/cphva
Unite (Amicus section) is the third largest union in the NHS. It
has seven professional sections: the Community Practitioners’
and Health Visitors’ Association, the Mental Health Nurses
Association, the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, the Society of
Sexual Health Advisers, the Medical Practitioners’ Union, College
of Healthcare Chaplains, and the Hospital Physicists
Association.
Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport
and General Workers’ Union in May 2007.
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