School nurse cuts threaten pupils

Children are being put at risk by swingeing cuts in the number of school nurses, it was claimed yesterday. The result was likely to be more children and teenagers suffering from mental and behavioural problems or eating disorders, falling prey to substance abuse and getting pregnant, nurses warned. The Royal College of Nursing yesterday launched a major campaign to save the school nurse, seen by the profession as an unsung hero.

The RCN is to press the Government to make it a statutory requirement for every child to have access to a school nurse. Members of the royal college meeting at their annual congress in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, later voted on an emergency resolution on the issue. The RCN said school nurses - who number about 5,000 - were being "picked off" to achieve cost cuts because they were a soft target.