Published: 06 February 2007
Ten More Nurses for Cornwall
The prospect of ten more full-time school nurses for Cornwall - to boost the health of thousands of school children - is on the cards, following talks last week.
Amicus / the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA) said that ‘good progress’ was made, after discussions with managers at the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) in St Austell.
However, the plans for the extra school nurses are dependent on PCT approval and a successful application for funding from the South West Strategic Health Authority.
Amicus/CPHVA Professional Officer for School Health, Ros Godson said:
“The plan is for up to ten new full time nurses to join the school nursing team, if the PCT approves the plan. Nothing, however, is finalised.
The PCT also plans for a team of community matrons to look after children with complex disabilities.
They also have secured funding for a full-time nurse at one of the special schools which will relieve pressure on the school nurse team.
They have discussed training issues with the local university and agreed a part-time modular course for school nurses to increase the number of qualified school nurses.
However, again, there is no definite commitment for funding at this stage.
The PCT’s Local Development Plan will become 'more balanced' to enable greater resources to be given over to preventative work, such as school nursing and health visiting”.
Amicus/CPHVA said that it understood that the PCT was heavily in debt.
One big drain, according to the PCT, on its resources is that summer visitors make extensive use the nurse-led minor injuries units, but Cornwall is not reimbursed by the PCTs where the visitors live.
Ms Godson said:
“We want to work with the PCT in a positive manner to make these improvements to the school nurse service.
We will, of course, be monitoring the situation generally and how it affects our school nurse members in particular”.
The crisis in Cornwall hit the headlines last October when a Cornish school nurse told Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt that she had a 9,000 caseload – a situation that the minister described as ‘horrific’.
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