Campaigners are intensifying their calls for a dedicated nurse to be appointed at Ysgol Heol Goffa, a special school in Llanelli that supports more than 120 young people aged three to 19 with a range of additional needs. The demand follows a Welsh Government inspection report and the deaths of four pupils in the last six months.
Inspection highlighted lack of nursing support
In January, Welsh Government education inspectors published a largely positive report but noted that the absence of a dedicated school nurse limited the ongoing health support available for pupils with complex medical needs. School staff are currently managing a wide range of healthcare responsibilities and relying on external professionals for updates.
Campaigner and Llanelli town councillor Shaun Greaney said four pupils had tragically died in the last six months, although not in school. Carmarthenshire Council has stressed that a causal connection between any deaths and the nursing provision should not be drawn without clear evidence.
Health board meeting yields no guarantee
Cllr Greaney said the action group recently held an online meeting with Hywel Dda University Health Board representatives, but they could not guarantee that a nurse would be employed, give a deadline for a decision, or reach a solution without the council's involvement.
“But it was encouraging that they finally listened to the overwhelming evidence presented to them and they pledged something would be done,” he said.
Lana Dakin, of Llanelli, whose son Jac attends Ysgol Heol Goffa and has a rare genetic condition with complex medical needs, said she was very worried about the lack of a nurse. “The staff at the school are great but they should not have to carry this alone. The children here have some of the most complex medical needs in our community,” she said. She called on the health board to provide a nurse for the school, adding: “Children like Jac should not have to wait. They deserve support now.”
Health board and council responses
Sharon Daniel, director of nursing, quality and patient experience at Hywel Dda, said the health and wellbeing of all children and young people was a health board priority. “We support the children and young people at Ysgol Heol Goffa with a specialist/community children nursing service to meet their universal health needs, and through the provision of training for staff at the school,” she said.
Ms Daniel added that the support ensured every pupil with healthcare needs could be cared for competently and confidently within the school environment, and that health chiefs backed “ongoing actions to strengthen provision and ensure the best possible outcomes for the pupils and staff”.
The council said responsibility for commissioning and delivering school nursing services in Carmarthenshire rested with the health board. Cllr Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education, said the council had repeatedly raised concerns and engaged with Hywel Dda, Welsh Government, the school and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales to seek a sustainable solution.
“The council’s position has consistently been that learners at Ysgol Heol Goffa must receive appropriate healthcare support. We have previously drawn attention to Welsh Government guidance which states that each special school should have access to at least one dedicated health board-employed registered nurse,” he said.
Cllr Davies said the authority wanted these discussions brought to a conclusion and that currently there wasn’t a confirmed timescale for a final health board decision. He added: “It would not be appropriate for the council to comment publicly on individual pupils or their circumstances. Nor should a causal connection be drawn between any deaths and the question of nursing provision without clear clinical evidence.”
