AQW 34326/22-27


Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 24/10/2025
Answered On Date: 10/11/2025
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the rational behind the October 2025 report Review of Population Health Needs of Children with Complex Medical Needs Attending Special Education Needs Schools in Northern Ireland, focusing primarily on nursing provision and not considering more fully the role of other members of the multidisciplinary team, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists.


Answer:
In October 2024, you brought a delegation of four Principals of SEN schools to meet with me and the Education Minister to discuss their concerns around the potential withdrawal of on-site nursing staff from their schools. The Principals’ view was that children with significant healthcare needs can most safely access the curriculum in a school environment where there is on-site Community Children’s Nursing (CCN) in the school.
To address those specific concerns, the Chief Nursing Officer commissioned the Public Health Agency (PHA) to scope the population health needs of pupils attending special schools in Northern Ireland. The objective was to better understand the nursing care needs of this population in order to make recommendations on future service provision.
Following the publication of the PHA’s report last month, officials in my Department have commenced work alongside colleagues from the Department of Education and other key stakeholders, to consider and progress its recommendations, and ensure that all children in SEN schools have access to necessary healthcare.
The PHA is also leading a separate comprehensive analysis to identify what the assessed therapeutic needs are for children and young people who attend Special School to inform the development of an effective model of therapy provision and associated workforce development and planning.
This will include a comprehensive scoping exercise to capture the assessed needs of children and young people in the Special School sector in respect of Occupational Therapy, Orthoptics, Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy. I expect to receive the completed review, with recommendations, by March 2026.
Taken together, these reports and resulting recommendations will seek to ensure the best outcomes for all children in SEN schools, enabling them to access the curriculum in a school setting while receiving the right care at the right time by the right person and in the right place.