School Health Assistants (SHA)

School Health Assistants (SHA) work within the School Nursing Service as part of a skill mix team, supporting the delivery of integrated, evidence-based services for children and their families, with a focus on prevention, promotion, and early intervention. They mainly work in schools but could also work in families’ homes, children centres, health clinics and other community venues.

School Health Assistants are required to deliver Sirona’s Public Health Nursing Service vision engaging with transformation programmes to support change. This includes working in partnership with children, young people, families, and schools to deliver the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) and other health promoting work relevant to the role.

The School Nursing service is an innovative and progressive service, and this role requires a flexible, warm, and reflective practitioner committed to ongoing development of their skills and knowledge to maintain the excellent standards of the service.

Role

• Hours: 24 hours per week, term time only
• Location: Based in South Bristol with travel throughout the Bristol localities as required.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the delivery of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) arranging dates with schools and completing the measuring of children’s height and weight and subsequent follow up in line with the national programme with support and supervision from service leads.
• Carrying out vision screening as per local guidance to include arranging dates with schools, completing the screen, capturing data, and managing any subsequent referrals and follow up.
• Delivering specified support packages to families, which are short term, time limited interventions. This may include extended brief interventions to support the local NCMP.
• Participating in the planning, organisation, delivery, and evaluation of health promotion activities.
• Preparing health promotion boards that engage children, young people and families in health promoting information.
• Performing general administrative and clerical duties as required.
• Being responsible for accurate and contemporaneous record keeping in line with local and national guidelines and policy.
• Following agreed processes to ensure that work is focused and time limited and outcomes are shared with the NCMP and Vision Screening Lead, School Nurses, Clinical and Locality leads as appropriate.
• Supporting the local implementation of the Healthy Child Programme and specific public health programmes such as Extended Brief Intervention programmes.