• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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Review of children and young people’s public health services

203A report on the future of health visitor and school nurse services in County Durham will be discussed by councillors next week.

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet will hear that all of the authority’s public health contracts are currently being reviewed as a result of a proposed reduction in the public health grant.

This includes the contract for the 0-5 Healthy Child Programme, incorporating the health visitor service. Responsibility for the commissioning of these services passed to the council at the beginning of this month.

In addition, the council has also been reviewing school nurse services, which cater for children and young people aged from five to 19-years-old.

The authority has now set out how it would like both services to operate in the future and is currently seeking a contractor to provide them from April 2016.

Cllr Lucy Hovvels, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for adult and health services, said: “These services allow us to address health and wellbeing issues for children, young people and their families from birth up to the age of 19.

“While the existing services have achieved much there is still more than can be done. The changes we want to see will ensure services address the needs of children, young people and their families across the county.”

Cabinet meets at the Witham, in Barnard Castle, on Wednesday, 21 October.

By admin