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School nurse cuts a factor in child mental health crisis

Delegates at RCN congress vote unanimously to lobby over lack of funding, amid warnings about rates of self-harm and depression.
Child mental health

A continuing lack of school nurses will deepen the existing crisis in child mental health.That was the unanimous view of members attending RCN congress in Glasgow last month, who voted 100% in favour of lobbying over funding cuts.

Child mental health
RCN research found that at least three children in every classroom experiences a mental health problem. Picture: iStock

The resolution came from school nurse Corina Christos, who told delegates: ‘Children are less well equipped than ever to deal with problems, learn from them and move on.

‘Rates of depression have risen 40% in teenagers over the past 25 years and one in five 15 year olds have self-harmed.’

Little support

First-year mental health nursing student Simon Mackey said 5,000 under 19s attended emergency departments in Northern Ireland in 2013. ‘If we can’t help children progress through whatever their problems are now, it’s going to continue all through their adult lives,’ Mr Mackey said.

Nurse Alison Upton told delegates she had self-harmed at the age of 11, then had to endure a three-year wait to be diagnosed. ‘There was little support ten years ago, there’s even less now,’ she said.

Research by the RCN has found that at least three children in every classroom now experience a mental health problem. 

Fall in numbers

Yet school nurse numbers have fallen 10% since 2010; there are now only 2,700 school nurses to more than 9 million pupils. More than two thirds (70%) of those surveyed by the RCN said their workload was too heavy, and more than one quarter said they work over their contracted hours every day.

RCN general secretary Janet Davies said: ‘All children deserve access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Only by investing in school nursing and wider mental health services can children be given the best chance possible of leading happy and healthy lives.’

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