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School Nurse Service

Checked: 04-06-2024 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 03-06-2026

Overview

The School Health Nursing Service offers information, signposting and support for all children and young people 4-19 years, living or attending a school /college within BNSSG local authority areas.

School nurses work in partnership with schools to deliver public health information and support on a number of different topics. This includes sexual health, emotional wellbeing, healthy weight and lifestyle information and support.

Young people can contact the School Nursing Service for information and support by going to one of the drop-ins at their school, by calling the appropriate number below, or by completing the self referral form (available on the Sirona website). Parents and carers can also call the service using the numbers below.

Bristol East/Central: 0300 125 6980

Bristol South: 0300 125 6277

Bristol North: 0300 124 5816

North Somerset: 0300 125 6798

South Gloucestershire: 0300 125 5151

All children and young people can receive information and support from the school nursing service.

Young People can also contact the School Nurses anonymously through Sirona’s text messaging support service, ChatHealth - see below.

Support packages

School Nurses also offer one-to-one support packages for children and young people which include up to four face-to-face sessions. There are support packages on the following topics:

• Keeping ourselves well
• Emotional wellbeing – understanding thoughts and feelings
• Getting a good night’s sleep

To be eligible for one-to-one support, children and young people must meet the referral criteria.

Parents/carers and professionals can refer someone for a support package, or the young person can self-refer. Please see referral details below.

Referral

Referrals from schools:

School nurses are not based in schools but can take referrals from them and other health care professionals as well as parents and carers.
There is also a School nurse drop in service in all secondary schools.

Referrals from Parents/Carers and self-referral

Please see the Sirona website for referral forms.

Referrals from primary care and other professionals:

To refer a child or young person for a support package, please complete the referral form for professionals and others if they meet the referral criteria.

Referral forms should be sent to the child’s local School Nursing Team using the following email addresses:

Bristol School Nursing service: sirona.bristolschoolnursing@nhs.net

North Somerset School Nursing service: Nsomerset.schoolnurses@nhs.net

South Gloucestershire School Nursing service: Sirch.southglosschoolnursing@nhs.net

ChatHealth for 11-19 year olds

A confidential messaging service called ChatHealth is available to enable 11–19-year-olds to text a school nurse when they need support.

The number for ChatHealth is 07312 263093 and it is open Monday to Friday, from 9am-5pm, during term time and school holidays – excluding bank holidays.

Students can text school nurses for advice on a range of topics including mental health and wellbeing, smoking, drugs and alcohol, bullying, body image, relationships and healthy eating.

For more information, visit ChatHealth – Children & Young People’s Services (sirona-cic.org.uk)

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.