SCHOOL NURSES

Motion Text

That this House strongly believes school nurses are integral to the health and well-being of children through their provision of confidential advice and guidance on a range of public health issues including nutrition, sexual health, smoking and drug abuse; acknowledges the growing concern that, with only one full-time, year-round school nurse for every 14 schools, there is extensive pressure on school nursing; notes the Royal College of Nursing's findings that over half of school nurses felt their workload was too heavy, and nearly 90 per cent. of school nurses believe that they are too busy or there is not enough time to provide the service required; and calls on the Government to take steps to double the number of school nurses and to improve access to training in order to prevent further exacerbating shortages in the service.