Nurses quit over bid to revamp traditional role

School medical staff complain of stress of new responsibilities

A Scottish Government bid to revamp the role of school nurses caused “high anxiety” among staff in Perth and Kinross and forced some to quit their jobs, a new study has revealed.

The pilot plan, which encourages nurses to focus on issues like drug misuse, mental health and child abuse, was introduced to the region’s schools. The Scottish Government hopes to roll it out across the country.

Four of the 16 nurses who took part in Perth and Kinross resigned or retired, with staff saying the role became “particularly stressful” because there was no one to take over traditional responsibilities like immunisation.

The move towards a new role has been backed by the Royal College of Nursing but has been questioned by local MSP Murdo Fraser.

He said the Scottish Government should be ploughing extra resources into improving mental health among young people “rather than asking existing staff to fill in the gaps.”

School nurses in Perth and Kinross walked out on their jobs after getting extra responsibilities as part of a trial Scottish Government shake-up.

The pilot scheme was introduced at schools across the region as part of a wider move to revamp the role of health workers in primaries and secondaries.

Under the strategy, nurses will take on responsibilities which have until now been carried out by social workers and mental health specialists.

They will be asked to concentrate on nine “priority areas” including children’s mental health and wellbeing, substance misuse, domestic abuse and the potential for them becoming homeless.

In Perth and Kinross, 16 NHS Tayside nurses and three managers – everyone who was eligible – took part in the experiment. The trial was also carried out in Dumfries and Galloway.

A written evaluation of the trial revealed a quarter of nurses – four – resigned or retired in Perth and Kinross.

The report stated: “The method of working proposed by the refocused role was very different from much of the work undertaken by school nurses prior to the early adoption and not all staff would necessarily wish to work in this manner.

“The result was that several staff resigned or were reassigned out of the School Nurse Team. It was particularly stressful for staff in Perth and Kinross as they endeavoured to cover the immunisation schedule, as well as working according to the refocused school nursing role.”

Researchers found that “the high level of anxiety such a change can engender meant that staff support was a major concern”.

One member of Tayside staff quoted in the report said: “We’ve had, in our service anyway, two retirals, and two resignations. Because the school nurse model just wasn’t something that some of our staff wanted to take on.”

However, the Scottish Government has pledged to push ahead with the overhaul.

Local MSP Murdo Fraser said the revamped role was a “big ask” for nurses.

No one from NHS Tayside connected with the scheme was available for comment.

They will be asked to concentrate on areas including children’s mental health and wellbeing, substance misuse and domestic abuse