28/03/2011

Benefits To Ill And Disabled Children Highlighted

The critical role community nurses play in ensuring ill and disabled children get tailored care and support, has been set out by Public Health Minister Anne Milton as she published a new report aimed at helping commissioners and providers improve services.

Speaking at the first National Conference on Child Health in the Community in Telford, Ms Milton outlined the Government’s commitment to providing greater support to ill and disabled children and their families. The Minister also set out how the report, NHS at Home: Community Children’s Nursing Services, should help improve awareness of the key role community children’s nurses play.

She said: "Every child should have access to care and services according to their unique needs. Facing major treatment, disability or long-term illness can be stressful and fearful for both children and their families - but particularly at a young age. At a time like this children want their families close by.

“For too long, services have been organised to fit the convenience of the system. An improved health service will put the best interests of the patient first - that is why we are modernising the NHS.

“Community children’s nurses are often the people that make that happen and the key role they play must be recognised when looking at commissioning and providing services. We want to make sure that can happen everywhere, whenever it’s necessary.”

The publication will also go some way towards meeting the vision for choice outlined in the document that accompanied the NHS White Paper, ‘Achieving Equity and Excellence for Children’. This vision is that children receive care that enables them to be at home with their families as much as possible and treatment that will enable them to lead as normal a life as possible.

NHS at Home: Community Children’s Nursing Services, shares the key messages important in securing a comprehensive, safe and sustainable local service and gives examples of local services already providing aspects of this.

(BMcN/GK)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

22 November 2004
Private sector input will save NHS millions, claims Minister
More than £220 million could be slashed off the NHS' costs bill through a new private sector partnership announced today. The health department has said that the savings will be made over 10 years by getting more NHS Trusts to use centralised service centres to carry out back office work.
08 July 2009
£5m Allocated To Tackle Children's Communication Problems
A £5million package of measures is being rolled out to help improve services for children and young people with communication problems. A new Communication Champion is also being recruited to raise the profile of these issues, Children's Secretary, Ed Balls and Care Services Minister Phil Hope announced today.
02 April 2004
Marks & Spencer poised to axe 1,000 jobs
Under restructuring plans announced on Friday, Marks & Spencer is to axe around 1,000 jobs following a review of head office operations and the financial services division. The company said the decision formed a "major part of Marks & Spencer's ongoing plan to accelerate business transformation".
01 May 2009
NHS Staff Funded For Community Services
NHS staff have received awards totalling £1.5m to pursue projects that will work toward developing services in the community such as bi-lingual stroke rehabilitation programmes and diet and nutrition training, announced the Department of Health today.
30 January 2006
Move to push NHS services into community
The government has unveiled proposals aimed at providing health services closer to people's homes. The new White Paper on improving community health and care services includes proposals to offer some hospital services, such as dermatology, ENT, orthopaedics and gynaecology, in communities.