The Department of Education marked International Nurses Week by sharing some insight into school nursing in Gibraltar.

In September 2022, the nursing staff complement in St Martin’s school was increased to meet the needs of a greater pupil intake and the presenting complex health demands. The Department of Education have two full time nurse employees and also benefit from an additional nurse who is seconded from the GHA. The St Martin’s School nursing team consists of three highly specialised nurses from different fields, who complement each other to provide a holistic package of care to the pupils of St Martin’s School.

Meet the Team:

• Gemma Dalmedo - Learning disabilities nurse with over 16 years’ experience of working with people of all ages who have a variety of learning disabilities and complex needs. Gemma has previously worked as a children’s community nurse, with palliative care patients, and as a member of the Warwickshire Health Facilitator Team. Her recent move to school nursing is in Gemma’s words, her “getting back to my roots of nursing”.
• Emily Lopez - Registered nurse trained within Gibraltar and specialising in public health, with over a decade of experience consisting of work within intensive care and a health promotion role. Prior to nursing, Emily held roles within social care and, in the UK, spent time volunteering in an activities club for children with Autism and ADHD.
• Vivienne Heath - Paediatric nurse from Rainbow Ward with 19 years of practice. She has worked in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, in both cardiac/neuro theatres before making the move to Gibraltar.

The school nurse role is very diverse and has developed greatly in recent years. It can vary from providing medical care to pupils with acute or chronic health problems, to monitoring health care plans in conjunction with the wider multidisciplinary team. Since the start of the school year, the nurses have also assisted with several screening reviews and health clinics within the school setting. This is particularly beneficial as it means children can be seen in a familiar environment and helps to further streamline treatment plans.

The nurses have also led several health promoting topics in-house, exploring themes such as the prevention of winter bugs and key themes for healthy living. Last term the school nurses promoted the well-known “Fruity Friday'' initiative, engaging further support from a number of allied health care professionals and teaching staff. Discussion points included the importance of eating 5 high fibre fruits and vegetables each day to maintain a healthy gut, prevent constipation, other digestion problems and improve overall child health.

The nurses targeted different audiences (i.e. children, staff, parents) with tailored health promoting messages and invited all to the fruit tasting sessions that presented a variety of textures and blends over the course of 4 weeks. Within 3 weeks of this initiative, the number of children accessing and enjoying fruit as a snack during school increased threefold. Watching their peers and teachers try fruits also encouraged some brave children to try something new!

The next school term will see the school nurses encourage physical activity, known to be associated with multiple health benefits for children. The nurses look forward to engaging with other agencies to make this as successful as possible.