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ASSISTANT: Health nurse Wenche Andresen was hired to carry out infection work in the municipality of Oslo. In the evenings, he used to send messages to the young people with whom he had contact. Photo: Espen Rasmussen / VG
When many health nurses went to work on infection work in March, the number of reports of concern dropped dramatically at school health service and health posts.
For many children and youth, the school health nurse is the first to tell them what is bothering them.
If the health nurse has reason to believe that children are being abused or exposed to gross neglect, she has a duty to send a report of concern to the child welfare service.
On Sunday, VG wrote that 234 municipalities appointed health nurses to solve the tasks of the crown in the spring of 2020. In total, there are more than 1,300 health nurses.
Now VG can reveal that 349 reports of concern about new children were submitted by the school health service and health stations in March and April.
This is almost half from the previous year, when the child welfare service received more than 600 reports.
– did not reveal
VG has had access to reports of concern from the Norwegian child welfare services for the period of March 1 to May 1, 2020.
– It is not surprising that the figures for concern have dropped. We suddenly found ourselves in a situation where we were no longer allowed to discover and help, health nurse Wenche Andresen tells VG.
On Sunday, she recounted the concerns of the children she will be tracking, when she herself was set to track infections in March. Andresen believes that it was wrong to remove so many nurses from the health of children and young people.
Several of the largest municipalities in the country had a decrease in reports of concern from health nurses.
PLOT: When schools closed, many health nurses moved from the office to fever clinics and infection control teams. Photo: Espen Rasmussen / VG
Captured less
In the municipality of Oslo, the number of complaints fell from 62 to 35 in March and April.
City Clerk Kristian Takvam Kindt writes to VG that a large proportion of health nurses in the school health service were reassigned to work on infection monitoring and control in March and April.
– They were not found with children and young people in schools, and the decrease in the number of reports to the child welfare service from the health station and the school health service is probably related to this, Kindt writes.
Read also: Greater risk of losing control
In Stavanger Municipality, the number of complaints of concern dropped from 14 to 4 in the same period.
– When contact is reduced, it probably means you catch less. So this has likely affected the number of reports of concern, writes Jone Skjelbred, municipal manager for children, youth and families in Stavanger.
STAVANGER: The municipality says that it was necessary to use some health nurses for corona tasks to ensure sufficient capacity for vaccination and infection detection. Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB
– I was in a crisis situation.
Several municipalities confirm that they see the decrease in relation to the use of health nurses. Although most also put resources into mapping and tracking vulnerable families when schools closed, many acknowledge that they see that the priorities have had consequences for children and youth.
– The municipality was in a crisis situation and everyone had to contribute. It’s complicated and has had some consequences, writes unit leader Beate Kristiansen in Moss Township.
In Moss, the number of reports of concern from health nurses dropped from 16 to 3 in March and April. In Sarpsborg, these messages went from ten to one in the same period.
– During this period, the municipality prioritizes the mapping of vulnerable children and youth in order to implement the appropriate measures. So it doesn’t give a true picture of the situation to look at those weeks for yourself, writes Grete Lind, head of preventive activities in Sarpsborg municipality.
He notes that the total number of reports of concern to the child welfare service in Sarpsborg has increased during the pandemic.
also read
I had to visit the children through the window for two months.
Most of the health nurses returned to their regular jobs when schools reopened on May 11. But both Oslo, Ålesund, Sarpsborg and Moss confirm that a few man-years will continue to contribute to infection control this fall.
See how Espen Nakstad answers questions from VG readers:
Consequence of the lack of offers
The Norwegian Health Directorate says they never recommended municipalities to relocate health nurses for infection screening, infection testing and other corona tasks in March.
The director of the department, Ellen Margrethe Carlsen, confirms that after a few weeks they realized that several municipalities had reduced health services for children and young people.
– We saw that children and young people in many places did not achieve their right to health services, says Carlsen.
On April 17, the Norwegian Health Directorate sent recommendations to all municipalities asking them to maintain, or restore, a normal health service for children and young people.
CONCERNED: The head of the department, Ellen Margrethe Carlsen, of the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Photo: Norwegian Health Directorate
– Were the recommendations clear enough when so many municipalities have done something different than what the Norwegian Health Directorate recommended?
– It probably could have been made even clearer in our March recommendation. But since April 17, we have been very clear in our recommendations that health services for children and youth should not be reduced.
The department director emphasizes that these recommendations also apply today, even with the infection blooming Y tighter measures in October.
– VG surveys show a sharp decrease in reports of concern from health nurses to the child welfare service. Is this an expected consequence?
– Yes, it is one of the consequences of the lack of services in the health post and school health services, says Carlsen.
– Several municipalities state that they still use some health nurses for crown tasks. Is this in line with your recommendations today?
– In.
