Call for dedicated children’s public health nurse service to tackle illnesses that come with poverty

Dr Naomi Feely said: 'If we had a dedicated service for children that would really focus on their early years, if we could see that in three years’ time, I think that would really be a game-changer in terms of breaking that cycle (of poverty).' Picture: Children's Rights Alliance

A dedicated children’s public health nurse service could be “a game-changer” in fighting illnesses which come with poverty and give children a chance to break the poverty cycle, the Children’s Rights Alliance has said.

These nurses go into people’s homes and can reach families regardless of income, Dr Naomi Feely, senior research and policy manager with the Children’s Rights Alliance said.

At the moment, while public health nurses do a lot of work with babies and younger children, this is just part of their everyday workload.

“The public health nurses are a universal service, and it makes such a difference for a nurse to come in and see straight away at the six-month development check that this child needs urgent intervention,” she said.

“If we had a dedicated service for children that would really focus on their early years, if we could see that in three years’ time, I think that would really be a game-changer in terms of breaking that cycle (of poverty).” 

Her comments come in the wake of the launch of the Children's Rights Alliance's new child poverty monitor.

The report showed more than one in five children in Ireland experienced deprivation last year, meaning they did not have enough food, shoes, or clothes suitable for school. It referred to other studies showing less well-off children are more likely to develop conditions such as asthma or eczema.

The report said it is “critical” to give access to free GP care and expanded access to public health nurses for families in need.

It said the establishment of a network of public health nurses whose sole focus is on child health work has been recommended since 2017 when it was included in the original Slaintecare report.

While families with new babies saw better access to these nurses last year compared to during the pandemic, the report said the disruption caused by the pandemic is not yet fully resolved.

The report found:

There is continued evidence of geographic disparity in 2023.

The report acknowledges shortages in the public health nurse workforce, and recommends that these are addressed as currently nurses “may lack the time and supports” to focus on children.

Also at that event, Grainne McKenna, assistant professor at Dublin City University's Institute of Education, said €500m was recently announced by government for a “Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund”.

“What I would ask is that a €500m fund is allocated to the disruption of child poverty. You cannot do it on a shoestring,” she said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation said increasing training places for these nurses should be prioritised by the HSE and Department of Health.

“There is currently a deficit of over 600 public health nurses, which will only increase because of the HSE’s ongoing recruitment freeze,” Tony Fitzpatrick, Director of Professional Services said.

“There has been an overall decrease in the number of PHNs practising over the past four years and there is an acute shortage in Dublin and the surrounding areas.”