School Nurse
Specialist Community Public Health Team (Schools)
A guide for parents and carers.
About the service
The specialist community public health teams (schools) aim to help school-aged children, young people and their families to find the support and services they need throughout their school lives. This leaflet tells you more about the service and how it can help you. This leaflet can be made available in other formats and languages. Please call Dorset PCT’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 01305 361285 or email PALS@dorset-pct.nhs.uk to request a suitable format. For details of Trust services or patient information leaflets, please log on to www.dorset-pct.nhs.uk
Who is in the specialist community public health team (schools)?
Public health practitioners are qualified registered nurses, who have chosen to specialise in public health. They also hold a specialist community public health nursing qualification at degree level. They work mainly with older children and teenagers. Young people’s health professionals are registered nurses with special interest in the health of school-age children. Children’s health advisers hold a qualification in the health and development of children under the age of eight and work mostly with primary schools. All members of the team have expertise in public health matters and their main concern is the health and well-being of school-aged children.
What services can the specialist community public health teams provide?
There are three teams across Dorset County: West Dorset Team, Central Dorset Team and East Dorset Team. Each school has a named nurse and the named nurse maintains regular contact with their allocated schools. Team members have a range of responsibilities including screening and early recognition of anything that may cause difficulties for a child in school, such as hearing or emotional problems. All team members promote healthy lifestyle choices for individual children and their families and also deliver health education sessions in the classroom. The list below outlines the services that you and your child can expect from your team:
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Your first contact with the team
Your first opportunity to meet a member of the team will be during your child’s first year in school. At that time every child is offered the opportunity for a school entry health check, made up of screening of growth and hearing. As the school entry health check is not a medical examination, children only have to take off their shoes. You will receive a questionnaire from the team, which you fill in and return through the school. Answering the questions can help both you and the team understand any needs that your child may have, so that support can be provided.
Working with other organisations
Sometimes, in agreement with you, the team refer a child or family to other services to get the help and support that they need. The team can refer to sexual health clinics, enuresis clinics, hospital consultants, speech therapy, dental services, child and family services and many other agencies. The teams work with doctors and other health professionals, teachers and social workers. Team members often work with families to complete the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) which enables a
package of support to be provided for children or young people.
Comments and complaints
Our aim is to provide the best possible care and service. If you have concerns about any part of the service you receive, please talk to the manager of your local team in the first instance as follows:
Julia Shutlar (West Dorset Team)
Bridges Medical Centre
26 Commercial Road
Weymouth Dorset DT4 7DW
Telephone: 01305 255207
Carolyn Bowyer (Central Dorset Team)
Blandford Clinic
Salisbury Street
Blandford Dorset DT11 7PY
Telephone: 01258 452949
Dawn Campbell (East Dorset Team)
St Leonard’s Community Hospital
Ringwood Road
Ferndown BH24 2RR
Telephone: 01202 584200
Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS)
As a school child, parent or carer, you may need to turn to someone else for advice, help and support. The PALS service can provide a speedy resolution to your concerns. Contact the PALS service for Dorset PCT by contacting Liz Stead, at the address for Dorset Primary Care Trust shown at the end of this leaflet. Formal complaints: these should be put in writing to the Trust Chief Executive of Dorset Primary Care Trust (address below).
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS)
For an independent and confidential advocacy service which can support you through the NHS complaints process, please contact ICAS for South West England on the following (local rate) telephone number: 0845 120 3782 or log on to www.adviceguide.org.uk/health
Contact details for your team:
Suzanne Osborne 01305 752395 If I am not available when you call, please leave me a message. I will return your call as soon as possible.
Staff safety:
Most people welcome the help and care they receive from healthcare staff. It should be stressed that NHS staff have the right to be treated with respect by everyone with whom they come into contact during the course of their work. The NHS has a policy that anyone who threatens or behaves in a violent or aggressive way towards staff will be reported to the police.
Dorset Primary Care Trust
Trust Headquarters
Hillfort House
Poundbury Road
Dorchester Dorset DT1 2PN
Telephone: 01305 368900