School Nursing

Services provided by Special School Nurses may include:

• Routine health surveillance and health promotion in Special Schools, contributing to the Healthy Schools agenda.
• Care planning and supporting clinical assessments and interventions in school for individual children.
• Health intervention training for education staff in skills required to meet a child’s needs (such as epilepsy care and administering medications).
• Advice and assistance in responding to first aid/ emergency situations.
• Looked After Child health assessments. 
• Promoting continence/ providing continence support, with six monthly re-assessments.
• Sexual health and staying safe for vulnerable young people.
• Support with transition to adult services.

The Special School Nursing service provides support to Special Schools to enable the school to meet the holistic care needs of children and young people when attending school. Although this is primarily through training and supporting school staff, all children can access direct support and advice from the Special School Nurse if they choose. This can be alone or with a parent or carer present. 

The Special School Nurse will assess the health care needs of children and young people on school entry. They will provide training to school staff to ensure school staff can provide care needs safely within the school setting. This will support the child or young person to achieve their full potential in both education and wellbeing. The team also provides Health Education to promote healthy lifestyles.

The service is managed by the Team Lead for Special School Nursing. All Nurses are Registered professionals in either:

• Registered Learning Disability
• Registered Children’s Nurse
• Registered General Nurse

Professionals can refer to the service by emailing the generic email address: whcnhs.ssn@nhs.net

Children and young people or parents can arrange to see their Special School Nurse by any of the following ways:

• Visiting the Nurse’s office within school to arrange a time and place
• Asking school staff to arrange a suitable time and place
• E-mail: whcnhs.ssn@nhs.net
• Calling the school office on 01527 65576 or locality base number

Special School Nurses work closely with other Health professionals and Children’s Social Care to ensure that all Children and Young People within the area are safe and cared for. If the Special School Nurse has any concerns about a child or young person, they will aim to discuss this with parents/ carers and seek consent to discuss with other professionals.

If you child has been in hospital it is important you discuss their return to school with medical staff before leaving the ward and also school staff to be sure your child will be safe at school. If additional training will be needed for school staff this will take time to arrange with the Special School Nurse.

CAMHS provides an equitable model of care to all children and young people in Worcestershire.

Details of which can be accessed from:

NHS camhs

There are resources and advice within the webpages and additional support during COVID 19.

A summary of services available includes:

Reach 4 Wellbeing –  Group intervention vis groups that promotes and supports the wellbeing of children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with anxiety.

CAST (Consultation, Advice, Supervision and Training) – provides a comprehensive mental health specific service available to any professional working in Worcestershire’s wider children’s workforce (such as teachers and Social Workers)

CAMHS Plus – supports children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis. The service also undertakes ward assessments for those admitted to the paediatric ward for self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Specialist CAMHS – assesses and treats those with significant mental ill health in order to promote recovery. 

Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service – a specialist service within the Worcestershire CAMHS team that specifically treats eating disorders in children and young people between the ages of 8 to 17 and ½.

Integrated Services for Looked After Children –  supports looked after children from 0-18 years of age, who may need help with their health, emotional wellbeing and their mental health.

Youth Justice Service and CAMHS (CAMHS YOT) – supports those up to the age of 18 years and who are open to the Youth Justice Service.