Dr Peter Carter, the RCN's chief executive and general secretary, said: ‘The RCN believes that the key to addressing the major public health issue of childhood obesity lies in early intervention and school nurses are essential to this.

‘If the government is going to deliver the child measurement programme and begin to tackle the problem of childhood obesity, it needs to compel PCTs to address the unacceptable shortage of school nurses.'

Earlier this week the Conservatives said that Labour had failed on a 2005 promise of a school nurse for ‘each cluster or group of primary schools and the related secondary school'.

In some parts of England, Labour has provided only half the number of school nurses it promised. The East of England is the worst affected, with just one school nurse for every two secondary schools.

neil.durham@haymarket.com

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