Helsinki says it invests in the well-being of children and young people, but many schools lack a doctor, psychologist or both.
It was an everyday case: a ten-year-old was stung by a wasp during recess.
The girl from Helsinki didn’t need an ambulance, just sedation and allergy medicine.
The school in question didn’t have a doctor at all, and the health nurse didn’t happen to be there that particular day in August. The situation was not nothing exceptional: numerous schools in Helsinki lack a doctor, psychologist or both, sometimes also a curator or a health nurse.
The girl’s father was immediately alerted Juho Vuohelainenwho brought an antihistamine to his child on a bicycle.
“I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to come right away.”
Vuohelainen trusts that the teachers will do everything for the children’s safety. The girl was comforted by a professional in the field of education the whole time, but of course he is not allowed to dig pills from the nurse’s cabinets.
Similar situations occur in schools all the time.
If, for example, the child gets a glass shard in his finger or a slightly larger wound, the parents may have to pick him up in the middle of the day and send him elsewhere for treatment. The alternatives are to try to apply to a health center or take the child to the private sector for treatment.
Helsinki in the urban strategy blessed by politicians, one major emphasis is on the well-being of children and young people. It means mental health in addition to physical health.
At the same time, school health and student welfare have been operating with insufficient staff for years. The situation was unfortunate even before the corona pandemic: Helsinki had it severe difficulties in getting through even the mandatory health checks prescribed by law in schools.
Read more: Helsinki is not able to take care of the health of school children: almost 60 percent of eighth graders do not have a doctor’s appointment
There are thirty school doctor positions in Helsinki. Many of the school doctors on the city’s payroll work part-time. In total, the work input of Helsinki’s own doctors corresponds to more than 14 doctors. As a purchase service, the work contribution of three doctors has been received.
Health nurses were transferred during the pandemic to take care of, for example, corona vaccinations. Now in the fall, the city promises them peace of mind at schools. It has also just been possible to hire significantly more school nurses.
Even so, one health nurse can still be responsible for a large number of students in several offices. There is a lot of turnover in the field, so the health nurse is not necessarily familiar and may be elsewhere at a critical moment.
About one in ten school psychologist positions are unfilled in Helsinki. The situation has been the same for years. There are arrivals, but there are also departures. The situation is even worse in neighboring cities and nationally.
The curator positions have all just been filled in Helsinki.
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“The children suffer the most, but also parents, teachers and the student care staff on site.”
School healthcare the lack of professionals has many consequences. In most cases, the school child’s statutory extensive health check-ups are missed by the doctor. Every student in the first, fifth and eighth grades should have them.
With bad luck, the same child is forgotten many times. Helsinki has just been reprimanded by the Regional Administration Office for similar negligence on the part of the council.
Read more: The city of Helsinki received reprimands from Avi: counseling services should not have been suspended due to the coronavirus epidemic
The situation becomes worse if a child or young person has an emergency, which the investigation begins at school. That is, for example, learning difficulties, anxiety or aggressive behavior.
“When the pupil care team has only had the principal and a special education teacher at their worst, the children’s affairs do not progress. The children suffer the most, but also the parents, teachers and the student care staff on site”, describes one teacher to HS.
There is currently no doctor or psychologist at his elementary school, and for years one of the school health professionals has been absent. It is therefore difficult for schoolchildren to access more detailed examinations, which they would need both to get specialized help from health care and to support their learning.
HS will not release the teacher’s name because they want to protect their students’ privacy in a small school.
“Pupil care should also cooperate for the well-being of the whole school,” he says.
This means work for, for example, community building, emotional skills and bullying prevention, which are also mentioned as goals in, for example, next year’s budget presentation.
If the school lacks a doctor, the health nurse can consult another school’s doctor. The psychologist of the neighboring school can also replace the missing psychologist.
For routine check-ups by school doctors, Helsinki offers a service voucher if there is no prior concern for the school child. Last academic year, around 7,000 service vouchers were issued, but only a good third used the voucher they received.
At least some of the unused vouchers are explained by the fact that the service voucher has also had too few times available. The service voucher has expired before you have time.
“We have to think about this. It is not appropriate if the use of the service voucher results in the appointment not working”, says the director of health and substance abuse services Leena Turpeinen.
Families who have been able to see a doctor with a service voucher have been satisfied. It also seems that the recipients of the vouchers are those schoolchildren whose inspection ensures that things are going well. Quite a few service voucher patients are assigned to follow-up examinations.
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“You understand that you apply to other places than schools, when you can get half the salary.”
If there is probably a need for further examinations, but there is no own school doctor, the child should be referred to Pasila’s centralized school health instead of a private one. Such situations are numerous. Turpeinen mentions ADHD research as an example.
Many mental health services for children and young people require a referral from a professional. For those over 13 years of age, there is no need for Mieppei, which offer conversational assistance with a low threshold, and the city’s Youth Center accepts a referral from professionals other than a doctor in mental health matters.
“The health centers are also intended for the entire population,” Turpeinen reminds.
However, getting a non-urgent appointment now takes an average of almost 40 days at the beginning of September, and months at some health centers.
“We still have to do everything we can to get enough school doctors. Well-being at work and work flexibility are important in that, but so is the salary,” says Turpeinen.
Responsible for student care in elementary schools Vesa Nevalainen again says that psychologists generally feel that work well-being in Helsinki schools is good. For example, orientation has been really thought through.
“Psychologists are trained too little compared to the need. They understand that they apply to other places than schools, when they can get half the salary,” says Nevalainen.
Read more: The child was already demanding as a baby, then the symptoms intensified – Aino from Helsinki filed a child welfare report on her family to finally get help
Read more: Students’ symptoms of depression and anxiety have increased and school psychologists’ offices are overcrowded – a change in the law is sought to alleviate the situation
Read more: School health care does a great job, but there are too few resources
Read more: Talk about pointless check-ups of healthy children frustrates the chief physician – “The idea of school healthcare has not been understood”
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