A NURSE was invited to No 10 Downing Street after he helped set up a special immunisation programme for children.

Martin Smith, clinical nurse specialist in child and adolescent mental health with Waltham Forest's Youth Offending Team, met Cherie Blair at an event to mark the fifth anniversary of the national youth justice programme at the end of January.

Mr Smith was one of only two health workers who joined the 150 people invited to the occasion, including professionals from the police service, social work and education, in recognition of the immunisation programme he was central in setting up for young people who fall out of the system.

His team's work to address the neglected health needs of a group of vulnerable young people has already won national recognition with articles appearing in the Youth Justice Board's newsletter Young Minds and the national magazine Primary Health Care.

Mr Smith said: "Cherie Blair took a genuine interest in our team's work, but the Prime Minister had been called away on state business, so Lord Faulkner gave a speech commending the youth offending teams countrywide on the excellent work that has been done, including reducing crime statistics for this group.

"The work we have done is what is important, but the event gave us a positive message that we are on the right track."

Work on the programme began in 2002 after Waltham Forest's Youth Offending Team discovered around 70 per cent of the 250 people on its records were missing out on their inoculations, often owing to exclusions from school and lack of awareness by parents.

Mr Smith, as an experienced child and adolescent mental health nurse, started to realise that many young people they were working with were not even registered with a GP or dentist.

The team worked with Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust's school nurses to set up a pilot immunisation programme including protection against tuberculosis, meningitis C, diphtheria, polio and tetanus, which was very well received.

Mr Smith said: "The young people we see every day often have low self-esteem and do not value themselves. The programme helped show them that people do care for them and are concerned enough to do something about it."