Senior MPs who chair the Education and Health and Social Care
committees say the Government should launch a public awareness
campaign to reassure parents that it is sometimes appropriate to
send children to school with a mild illness, and to administer
self-care rather than seeking help from a GP.
The joint letter from and to (Health Secretary) and
(Education Secretary) says
a campaign could help tackle the ‘crisis’ of school absenteeism,
which remains at a higher level than pre-pandemic, and the extra
pressure this puts on for primary care.
During its recent inquiry into persistent absence, the Education
Committee heard that whilst there is a range of complex factors
causing children to miss school, physical illness is the most
common reason for absence. It also heard evidence that, since the
pandemic, parents have become more reluctant to send their
children to school when their child has a mild illness.
The MPs are also concerned about the pressure this puts on GP
practices, particularly in times of winter demand on the NHS.
Instead, parents should be informed of when it is appropriate to
seek care from a GP, and when a child with a mild illness could
be treated through self-care at home.
Mr Brine and Mr Walker state in their joint letter to the
Secretaries of State that both issues could be addressed by a
national public awareness campaign that offers parents advice on
what to do if their child is showing symptoms of a mild illness.
They also argue that it would be more cost effective for both
departments to share the cost of this initiative and pool their
expertise to deliver an effective and informative campaign.
ENDS
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