Royal College of Nursing welcomes Child Health Strategy
Published: 12 February 2009
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today welcomes the Government’s Healthy lives: Brighter futures: The strategy for children and young people's health.
Janet Davies, Executive Director of Nursing and Service Delivery at the Royal College of Nursing said:
“We’re pleased to see that the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling the postcode lottery of children and young people's care in England. The additional funding announced today (£340 million) for children with disabilities and palliative care needs will go some way to enable care and support at home. Children have the right to expect to be cared for at home when they don’t need to be admitted to hospital. The RCN has been calling for an expansion in the number of community children's nurses to reduce the radical variations in services that exist across the country.
We also welcome the recognition of the role of school nurses and health visitors in improving the health of children and young people and plans of expanding Family Nurse Partnerships are a step forward in providing support the most vulnerable young mothers and their children. We look forward to working with the Government to address workforce issues and other implications of the strategy”