‘New and improved’ school nursing service announced

School nurses are to be given a more prominent role in providing healthcare and support for young people under new government proposals.

Children's health minister Dr Dan Poulter has announced plans that will see England's 1,200 school nurses and their teams leading a strengthened and tailored service that can better cater to children with complex needs.

The plans will see children who are carers helping to train school nurses in how to provide them with the best support, while staff will also be encouraged to become local leaders in young people's health.

It is thought that as many as 700,000 young carers live in the UK, with their caring responsibilities often proving to be a hidden cause of health problems, bullying, truancy and underperformance at school.

Dr Poulter said: "Young carers are often under incredible pressure both at home and at school. School nurses can do a lot to give young carers a voice and help ease that pressure."

Currently, school nurses are generally tasked with providing health and sex education, carrying out developmental screening, undertaking health interviews and administering immunisation programmes, among other tasks.