To: Wes Streeting and Bridget Phillipson
End Unsafe Practices! NHS School Nursing Service for All
UNISON, GMB, and Unite are calling for urgent reform in the way healthcare is delivered in schools.
Recent surveys reveal that low-paid school support staff are being pressured into performing essential medical care, including administering injections, oxygen, and managing feeding tubes — often without proper training or support. This places staff and pupils at serious risk.
Councils are responsible for public health school nursing - such as height and weight checks and health promotion - but not clinical care. That's the NHS's role. Yet there's still no national NHS clinical school nursing service, leaving many children with medical needs falling through the cracks.
Recent surveys reveal that low-paid school support staff are being pressured into performing essential medical care, including administering injections, oxygen, and managing feeding tubes — often without proper training or support. This places staff and pupils at serious risk.
Councils are responsible for public health school nursing - such as height and weight checks and health promotion - but not clinical care. That's the NHS's role. Yet there's still no national NHS clinical school nursing service, leaving many children with medical needs falling through the cracks.
A UNISON survey found that 42% of school staff say they have no option but to carry out clinical tasks, and over half fear they would not be supported if something went wrong. GMB’s 2025 survey found that 82% of their school members are providing healthcare support to pupils with medical conditions — something they never expected to do when they started their roles.
Together, the unions are campaigning for a needs-led, NHS-commissioned clinical school nursing service embedded in all state-funded education settings.
This would ensure that any delegated clinical tasks are undertaken by NHS-employed staff, such as healthcare assistants, protecting both children and young people and school staff.
Together, the unions are campaigning for a needs-led, NHS-commissioned clinical school nursing service embedded in all state-funded education settings.
This would ensure that any delegated clinical tasks are undertaken by NHS-employed staff, such as healthcare assistants, protecting both children and young people and school staff.
Why is this important?
In both recent surveys members told us so many stories that are incredibly concerning, we have included just a handful of quotes from Teaching Assistants below. We hope you can understand why we are asking for your support in this campaign.
During the pandemic, nursing support dropped out meaning TAs in my workplace were responsible for administering all medication to children, including controlled drugs.
In School it's just assumed that the TAs will take on the medical care required. None of us have been formally trained - I learned how to give insulin from another TA. It feels like an accident waiting to happen, even though we're all very careful and professional about our children's needs.
I can't remember that last time we had a school nurse in.
Some support could be life changing if given incorrectly which makes me feel uncomfortable and less confident in my ability as I'm not medically trained.
This reform is essential to safeguard children’s health, uphold legal responsibilities, and protect school staff from unsafe and non-compliant practices.
