1. Working in Public Health: School Nursing
Cheryl Bleach & Jenny Hardwick
Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN)
Portsmouth School Nursing Service
Hi, my name is Cheryl and this is Jenny and we are SCPHN’s based in Portsmouth and we have come to talk to you briefly about School Nursing.

2. Introduction to the School Nursing team
We work with children and young people aged 4-19 years.
Our team consists of 15 members of staff and we work across 72 schools within the 3 localities in Portsmouth.
Collectively we have 172 years nursing experience across adult and paediatric nursing
Based at the Civic Offices in Portsmouth
Our core working hours are Monday to Friday 9-5pm.
Within School Nursing we primarily work with children, young people and their families/carers and significant others.
Our team consists of a Modern Matron, a Team Leader, 3 qualified Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (School Nurse), 5 School Health Nurses, which are registered Paediatric, Adult or Mental Health Nurses. We have 4 Support Workers.
Working hours Monday – Friday 9-5, no weekends, nights, Bank Holidays or Xmas day!

3. 4 5 6 Approach to School Nursing
We speciality and passion is Public Health.
Our work is all Evidence Based and guided by Government initiatives.
4.5.6 model is the easiest model to explain what we do as it clearly demonstrates the transition from Health Visiting to School Nursing

4. 4 Levels of Service UPP UP U Care Commitment Compassion Courage
Competence
Communication
UPP UP U S A F E G U R D I N
COMMUNITY
We are commissioned to deliver the Healthy Child Programme across 4 levels –
Community- which is where we work with our children/ YP and families across a variety of settings alongside and sometimes with multi agencies.
Universal- which is a caseload where a large number of our population sits and some of our work comes in to this for example delivering immunisations and some growth measurements.
Universal Plus- this is where we can work with a child/ young person for a specific reason for a short period of time to support them in meeting their health needs.
Universal Partnership Plus – which is very specific to the SCPHN and often involves a more targeted approach for example Strategy meetings, Child Protection Conferences.
Safeguarding underpins everything we do and we strive to ensure we can demonstrate the 6 C’s in our work.
Helping children and families achieve their potential

5. 5 Health Reviews Healthy Child Programme – NCMP
Tier 1 advice and support.
Transition assemblies
College drop ins.
Immunisations for school aged children.
Child protection health needs assessments.
These are just some of the key health reviews we undertake.
Contact with our year R and Year 6 children in the City where we undertake the National Child Measurement Programme entails a growth check (Height, Weight and BMI). Reception year also have vision and hearing screening. This gives us the opportunity to meet with children face to face and use our assessment and communication skills. We will also ref onto specialities from this if a need is identified.
Tier 1 support for: following referrals, duty telephone calls or Systmone tasks....for example
Soiling/constipation
Daytime/ bed wetting
Healthy lifestyle/eating
Sleep
Medical care plans
Anxiety
Self-harm
Smoking
Substance misuse
Sexual Health and Health Relationships
Transition assemblies for the parents of the new intake of Reception children
Year 7 questionnaire to obtain health and emotional wellbeing information and identify emerging mental health issues. Starting with how they are settling into secondary school and also giving the young people the opportunity to request to see a school nurse if they have any worries or concerns.
Immunisation sessions afford us the opportunity for some health promotion delivery and we do this through whole year assemblies prior to the vaccinations being given.
We are looking at how we can support young people with transition to colleges and then onto adult services particularly with
Young people who have additional needs.

6. 6 High Impact Areas City initiatives to maximise mental health
and emotional well
Drop ins
NCMP
Health related attendance
Loss companions
Elective home educated children
Special educational needs and disability.
Immunisation schedules.
Lead professional roles.
Offering drop ins to primary and secondary schools.
NCMP contact allows that contact with children and young people- tackling childhood obesity and identifying those with low and high BMI’s.
Supporting families of the children/ young people who are missing school due to health issues.
Link roles for loss companions who work with individuals or classes.
Link for EHEC to ensure we are inclusive and offer the same service to those children and young people.
Link for SEND in a bid to ensure the transitions are smooth.
Immunisations:
Flu vaccine to five year groups at the moment- each year they add a year group.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) for Year 8 girls to help protect them against Cerivcal cancer.
In January Year 9’s will be having their school leavers booster which includes: Meningitis ACWY, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio.
Lead professional roles for those with complex/additional needs we are the link between acute and community services and will often be the communication coordinator.

7. Feedback
‘I thought she would be like my social worker and tell me what to do but she is nice and cares about what I want’.
‘I really like her because she has helped me use the toilet like a big girl.’
I had no idea what to expect, back in my day they were nit nurses, they are so much more now- I am amazed.
‘I think she is very clever and has helped me sleep and she gave me a certificate’ ‘
‘I feel really listened too’.
Here are some of the feedback we have received from children , young people and their families.
Are there any questions?
‘She is a brilliant listener and doesn’t tell me she knows how I feel’
‘She really helped me when I was being bullied and let me be heard at meetings’
‘I don’t feel like I have to hoover before she comes round she sees us as we are’.