Health Services Report Calls for more Nurses for Schools

Canberra Times, 28 July 2009

A report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission has recommended that all Australian primary schools have access to a child and family health nurse.

The report argued that providing schools with access to a nurse would be useful for schools and students by ‘promoting and monitoring children's health, development and well-being, particularly through the important transition to primary school’.

The report also recommended that:

• health literacy be embedded as a ‘core element’ of the national curriculum and should be included in any national skills assessment at both the primary and secondary levels
• pre-school and school dental programs be extended
• food and nutrient supplementation be provided for indigenous students in certain communities
• schools provide integrated health promotion and early intervention programs
• national ‘youth-friendly, community-based services’ be established to provide information and screening for mental disorders and sexual health
• specialist clinical services be created for the prevention of and intervention in early psychosis.

The report concluded that ‘acting early to keep our children healthy is one of the most powerful investments our society can make’. To access a copy of A Healthier Future for all Australians – Final Report, visit the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission website.

 

 

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