Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 October 2025
258. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health whether plans for specialist health nurses, as outlined in the National Early Years Framework, which would help to identify vulnerable or at risk young children, will be operationalised and funded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50166/25]
View answerOne of the aims of First 5, A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028, is to resource and support the implementation, expansion and enhancement of the National Healthy Childhood Programme (NHCP) to ensure it better addresses the needs of babies, young children and families, enabled by the development of a dedicated child health workforce.
In order to progress this aim, a Steering Group was established to identify and test a dedicated child health workforce aligned with the NHCP as part of the First 5 Strategy. Work to identify dedicated child health roles and pilot sites for testing is currently progressing and Public Health Nurses (PHNs) are being considered as part of this.
The Public Health Nursing Service is delivered by the HSE with a combination of Public Health Nurses (PHN) and Community Registered General Nurses (CRGN). The Public Health Nursing service provides care across the entire lifespan to individuals, families and communities. The services provided by PHNs vary based on patient need and they act as a point of access for other community care services.
All PHNs are registered general nurses with a specialist level 9 post graduate nursing qualification and are registered in the Public Health Nurse Division of the NMBI register. This specialist post graduate qualification uniquely qualifies the PHN to carry out the developmental screening of children under the NHCP. The NHCP is a universal programme available to all children living in Ireland.
PHNs play a key role in delivering child health screening, developmental surveillance, and providing essential health information and support to parents as part of the NHCP. At each of the five scheduled NHCP visits from birth up to 5 years, PHNs conduct a comprehensive assessment of the child’s health and development, parental capacity, and the family environment. The NCHP is delivered under a progressive universalism model of care, therefore additional contacts with the PHN can be arranged for children as required following assessment at each contact point. Where a PHN has knowledge, belief, or reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect they refer to Tusla.
