This occupation is found in the public, independent and private sectors. Health Visitors and School Nurses are employed in the NHS, Local Authorities, Community Interest Companies, Social Enterprises and Schools. Occupational Health Nurses are employed by any type of employer in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to make sure that people are supported at different stages of their lives, ensuring that individuals have the best start in life and experience good health and wellbeing across the lifespan. Specialist Community Public Health Nurses assess the health needs of individuals, families, workplaces and the wider community to promote and protect good health and wellbeing, prevent illness and provide interventions or advice. They also support and enable people to make informed choices about how to manage health challenges in order to maximise their quality of life and improve health outcomes. They also focus on deprivation, vulnerability and advocacy, and may work in challenging circumstances within adverse home and working conditions. This can mean working with adults or children in their own home, a healthcare setting or the workplace. Specialist Community Public Health Nurses also contribute to safeguarding children and adults.
Specialist Community Public Health Nurses are made up of health visitors, school nurses and occupational health nurses as follows:
– Health visitors work mainly with children, their families and communities. School nurses work with children, young people and their families, and are usually linked to a school or group of schools. Both these roles work across a range of settings that include health and education, providing a universal service between school, home and the community. In their daily work, health visitors and school nurses will interact with: Teachers, schools, children, parents, carers, General Practitioners, Social Workers, maternity and other health professionals and may work with the police and other legal staff where there are safeguarding concerns. They will also interact with the children’s workforce in the local authority services, voluntary organisations, adult mental health, early years settings and a range of private and public sector services associated with children and young people.
– Occupational health nurses provide services across a wide range of environments and in any workplace/institution (e.g. construction sites, NHS). They are involved in protecting health at work through risk management programmes, providing expert advice, and promoting health and wellbeing within the workforce in line with health and safety legislation and the public health agenda. In their daily work, occupational health nurses will interact with: Company employees, managers, human resource staff, health and safety and other professional advisers, trade unions and legal staff, site visitors, General Practitioners, other health professionals and Governing Bodies.
Specialist Community Public Health Nurses are responsible for their own work as an autonomous, independent practitioner, whilst leading and contributing to collaborative working with other health and care professionals. They will play a substantial educational, health coaching and advisory role to children and young people, their families and carers, employers, other health, care and education professionals, the public and communities. Summary of Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/specialist-community-and-public-health-nurse/ Full Standard https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/4330/st0697_specialist-community-and-public-health-nurse_l7_ap-for-publication_17062020.pdf
