Southend City Council Children, Young People & Families Public Health Service

We did not rate the service. We found:

• Staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities around safeguarding and there was sharing of information internally and externally. Children’s records were kept electronically; they were clear, detailed and up to date.

• Staffing levels and caseloads were appropriate and in line with Royal College of Nursing guidelines. Staff followed infection prevention procedures. Staff completed appraisals and revalidation and achieved 100% compliance with mandatory training.

• Staff used evidenced based policies and guidelines. There was regular Multidisciplinary team (MDT) working and staff routinely recorded parental consent status. The service met the National child measurement programme targets for reception age children.
• People who used the service gave consistently positive feedback about the way the nurses treated them. We saw nurses protect the privacy and dignity of children and treat them kindly and appropriately during health screening.

• Staff delivered services to meet the needs of children. At the time of our inspection the service had no waiting lists for weight management or night time enuresis.

• The school nursing services had received no complaints.

• There was a clear leadership structure in place and the culture within the school nursing team was open and supportive. The service looked at ways of introducing improvement and sustainability.

However,

• Staff were unable to access electronic records in schools or at the child’s home. This meant records could not be updated contemporaneously.
• Staff referred to policies which were out of date.
• There was inconsistent knowledge around the Duty of Candour regulation
• Staff did not undertake regular audits.
• Public engagement and feedback was limited.