Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is part of a new national podcast series for school nurses, by school nurses, which launches today. The series is a collaboration between our Digital Health Transformation Service (DHTS) and the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA).

The School Nursing Uncovered podcast features school nurses discussing the challenges and issues affecting children, young people and families including covering the role of the school nurse, mental health, vaping, gender identity, safeguarding and healthy lifestyles.

The idea for a podcast aimed at school nurses came from a lively discussion on social media last year. The DHTS team and SAPHNA team worked in partnership to organise a day of podcast recording in September 2023, following a call-out to the school nursing workforce to get involved.

The three hosts, Sharon White, CEO of SAPHNA; Sallyann Sutton, Professional Officer at SAPHNA and Laura Burrowes, DHTS Clinical Lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust are joined on their respective episodes by a variety of guest speakers from within the school nursing profession, working across different regions from Hampshire, Oxford, Birmingham and Warwickshire to Derbyshire, Leeds, Trafford and Salford, and even as far as Cyprus.

Laura Burrowes, DHTS Clinical Lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust says, “With our ChatHealth messaging platform and our range of healthfor websites* – originally pioneered by school nurses –  getting involved in the School Nursing Uncovered podcast is a great opportunity for us to further support the school nursing community. We’ve been delighted to offer our digital expertise in healthcare technology and project management experience to help create a podcast for school nurses by school nurses.”

Sharon White, CEO of SAPHNA, says, ‘We are thankful to the generosity and talents of all those involved in creating these podcasts. It is so good to be reminded of how wonderful our school nursing workforce and profession are.”

Sallyann Sutton, Professional Office at SAPHNA said: “This was such an uplifting experience to record the podcasts which involved lots of lively and passionate discussions, showcasing good practice and challenge. Fantastic to be sharing the ‘mic’ with knowledgeable and enthusiastic school nurses from around the country. The podcasts really articulate the value and show the impact that school nursing has on improving outcomes of children and young people.”

Lots of positive feedback was received by the guest speakers who contributed to the podcast, with comments such as,

  • “What a fabulous experience, so pleased to hear and see so many positive and proactive school nurses.”
  • “Brilliantly organised, with a lovely buzz in the room before, during and after the podcasts. It was fantastic to network with others and do something different.”
  • “I really enjoyed meeting everyone and focusing on all things school nursing. It was really well organised and a pleasure to be part of. Thank you for a wonderful podcasting experience.”

The first two podcast episodes of School Nursing Uncovered will be released today, Tuesday 30 January 2024, with the following episodes released weekly thereafter.

Listen to the podcast at https://qrco.de/SNUncovered

Or search ‘School Nursing Uncovered’ on your favourite podcast app.

*Our range of healthfor websites include:

  • Health for Under 5’s covers important milestones in a child’s development from pregnancy through baby, toddler, and preschool years. It also offers support, information and advice specifically for parents and carers, including local information and events in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
  • Health for Teens features bite-sized information on a comprehensive range of physical and emotional health topics for young people, including healthy eating, body image, managing stress, advice on relationships, puberty, sexuality and much more.
  • Health for Kids provides a space for children to learn about different aspects of their physical and emotional health in a fun and interactive way with videos, quizzes and games.
  • Health for Kids Grownups provides advice to parents and carers on a range of issues, including supporting children with their emotions and promoting wellbeing, screen time and other health issues.