The Health & Wellbeing Centre
Located in the heart of the school, with beautiful views over the school grounds and Abbey, the Health & Wellbeing Centre is fully accessible to all pupils and is always busy, with pupils using the Health Centre for a wide range of health and emotional wellbeing needs.
We endeavour to identify and respond to the health needs of all our pupils from their first day at Downside to the end of their time in our school community. The Health Centre has a holistic vibe which reflects its nurse-led approach offering a provision to support physical, emotional and social needs of all our pupils, seven days a week and with the ability to provide 24 hour care should it be required.
Our committed and highly skilled team consists of four Registered Nurses, a Health Centre Administrator, and two qualified counsellors. We run three GP Clinics per week in partnership with our school doctors who are from Oakhill Surgery. If required we can also arrange for appointments at the surgery if you child needs to see a Doctor or Practice Nurse outside of school clinic hours.
The experienced nursing team care for unwell and injured pupils, support children and their families in managing chronic health conditions, administering medications, supporting vaccination programmes and liaison with Primary/Secondary Health Care Services. Our Health Centre Administrator is often the first contact with the Health Centre and has a pivotal role arranging all external visits for pupil health appointments and dealing with the many Health Centre enquiries.
Alongside the care and treatment we provide at school, we work with other NHS & Private Health Care providers eg: Dental, Physiotherapy, Podiatrist, Outpatient appointments eg: Orthopaedics.
Working in partnerships with the child, parents and our pastoral team we place the child at the centre of all care decisions and pride ourselves on a multidisciplinary team approach that aims to provide support any early interventions to address the health needs of your child. We place safeguarding at the centre of our care and work closely with the safeguarding and pastoral leads within the school.
We strive to provide an environment that is conducive to positive health and alongside our clinical treatment areas, there are counsellor rooms with beautiful and relaxing views and a breakout dormitory where pupils can watch films away from the hubbub of their House. Plans are in place to create a chill-out room with sensory resources and an outdoor relaxation area, to make the most of the benefit of quiet time in the open air.
We value our children’s emotional health & wellbeing and recognise this is as important as their physical health. Having good mental health allows a child to develop resilience, form positive relationships with their peers, families and adults taking up opportunities that are presented to them, allowing for development as individuals with an ability to access their education in as broad a way as possible.
As a team we strive to encourage positive health behaviours for our pupils, encouraging them to develop lifelong health habits that result in resilience and autonomy and ultimately the ability to make empowering health choices and a happy and healthy lifestyle when they leave the Downside School community.
MICHELLE PYE
Head of Nursing
Contact phone: +44 (0)1761 235128
E-mail: healthcentre@downside.co.uk