Children with Medical Conditions & Administration of Medication

Please see our school policy below for further information.

Pupils with Medical Conditions and Administration of Medicine Policy DBJA 2024

Administration of Medicines

 
If administration of medicines is required during the school day, parents are requested to inform the school as soon as possible. Both prescribed and non-prescribed medicines, i.e. for hayfever, can be administered at school: in the case of prescribed medicines, parents will be required to provide evidence from the child’s GP; in the case of non-prescribed medicines, parents will be required to share the reasoning for the administration of the medicines and the anticipated timescale for this prior to the school giving agreement to do so. Where possible, we request that medicines be administered at home by parents before or after school, unless otherwise stated by a medical professional. Evidence of any required change to prescribed medicines must be provided to the school immediately to ensure immediate implementation; this may require supplying newly labelled prescriptions or items in line with such changes.
All staff authorised to administer medicines will follow administration procedures as advised by a healthcare professional and as agreed with the parents and child. Where the medicine requires specialist technique or equipment, e.g. inhaler, the members of staff responsible for administration will be required to demonstrate competence before taking on this role, as assessed by the Headteacher and additionally by a healthcare professional if required. In the event of pain medicine needing to be administered as part of a care plan, or in the event of administration of non-prescription pain medicine explicit consent will be needed from parents in order to check the most recent dosage and ensure administration is within safe guidelines; in this instance, contact will be made with parents to clarify the most recent dosage and to agree further administration of the pain medicine, if necessary. A written record of this discussion will be requested to be signed by parents at the end of the school day. Parents have the opportunity to come into school to administer any medicines should they wish to do so, or if this is deemed the most appropriate option for the child. If a child refuses to take medicines, staff will not force them to do so, but will note this in the records and inform parents immediately or as soon as is reasonably possible.
We may, in the event of a critical situation, administer medicine to a child without consent of a parent if the First Aider or medical services believe there is imminent life risk. Parents will be informed of this action as soon as is practically possible.

Pupils

Pupils with medical conditions will often be best placed to provide information about how their condition affects them. Pupils should be fully involved in discussions about their medical support needs and contribute as much as possible to the development of their healthcare plan. They are also expected to comply with their healthcare plan.

Being notified that a child has a medical condition

Parents are expected to notify the school as soon as they are aware of a new medical condition, or any changes to an existing medical condition, for their child. When notified of this, the process outlined below will be followed to decide whether the pupil requires a healthcare plan. The school will make every effort to ensure that arrangements are put into place within two weeks, or by the beginning of the relevant term for pupils who are new to our school.

Healthcare plans

Not all pupils with a medical condition will require a healthcare plan. It will be agreed with a healthcare professional and/or parents when a healthcare plan would be inappropriate or disproportionate. This will be based on evidence.

Healthcare plans will be developed with the pupil’s best interests in mind and will set out what needs to be done, when and by whom. They will be drawn up in partnership with the school, parents and a relevant healthcare professional, such as the school nurse, specialist or paediatrician, who can best advise on the pupil’s specific needs. The pupil will be involved wherever appropriate. The healthcare plan will be linked to, or become part of, any education, health and care (EHC) plan. If a pupil has SEN but does not have an EHC plan, the SEN will be mentioned in the healthcare plan as required. The final agreement of a parent will be sought before implementation.

The level of detail in the healthcare plan will depend on the complexity of the child’s condition and how much support is needed. The following factors as a minimum will be considered when deciding what information to record:

  • The medical condition, its triggers, signs, symptoms and treatments
  • The pupil’s resulting needs, including medicine (dose, side effects and storage) and other treatments, time, facilities, equipment, testing, access to food and drink where this is used to manage their condition, dietary requirements and environmental issues, e.g. crowded corridors, travel time between lessons
  • Specific support for the pupil’s educational, social and emotional needs; for example, how absences will be managed, requirements for extra time to complete exams, use of rest periods or additional support in catching up with lessons, counselling sessions
  • The level of support needed, including in emergencies. N.B. if a pupil is self-administering any medicines, this will be clearly stated with appropriate arrangements for monitoring
  • Who will provide this support, their training needs, expectations of their role and confirmation of proficiency to provide support for the pupil’s medical condition from a healthcare professional, and cover arrangements for when they are unavailable
  • Who in the school needs to be aware of the pupil’s condition and the support required
  • Arrangements for written permission from parents and the Headteacher for any medicines to be administered by a member of staff, or self-administered by the pupil during school hours
  • Separate arrangements or procedures required for school trips or other school activities outside of the normal school timetable that will ensure the pupil can participate, e.g. risk assessments
  • Where confidentiality issues are raised by the parent/pupil, the designated individuals to be entrusted with information about the pupil’s condition
  • What to do in an emergency, including who to contact, and contingency arrangements

Children with Asthma (refer to policy on Policies Page)

Children who have inhalers should have them available where necessary. Inhalers should be kept in a safe but accessible place in the First Aid marked cupboard in the classroom. Depending on the needs of the individual, inhalers should be taken to all physical activities and on educational visits. Inhalers must be labelled and include guidelines on administration.

It is the responsibility of parents to regularly check the condition of inhalers and ensure that they are working and have not been completely discharged.

Receipt, storage and disposal of medicines

We will compile a medicines list detailing information concerning all medicines for which we have permission to be administered within the school, including details of dose and frequency. This will be stored confidentially, within easy reach of the medicine itself, so that it can be quickly and easily referred to.

Prescribed medication is stored in a locked cupboard in the Main Office. Office staff and SLT have access via a combination lock on the door.  Refrigerated medicines are stored in the fridge in the Reprographics Room. This room is only accessible via a staff ID badge, so that children cannot enter the room.

All medicines must be delivered to the school office by the parent in person, who will then be required to complete and sign a permission form (see appendix) Under no circumstances will medicines be left in a child’s possession, unless immediate emergency treatment is expected to be required, i.e. use of inhaler during sporting activity. We can only accept medicines in their original containers as dispensed by a healthcare professional, complete with original labels and/or accompanying written directions. We cannot accept medicines that have been taken out of their original container. Each item of medicine must be clearly labelled with the following information:

  • Pupil’s name
  • Name of medicine(s)
  • Dosage
  • Frequency and timing of administration
  • Date of dispensing
  • Storage requirements (if relevant)
  • Expiry date

If relevant, parents are required to provide full details of any rescue therapy, including the dosage and frequency of administration, and any additional action to be taken if this is not effective.

It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that all medicines are in date and suitable for use. The member of staff receiving the medicines will check the items against the information stated on the form, and place the items in the approved secure storage location, clearly named and labelled. Where a child is prescribed emergency medicines (e.g. inhalers, Epipen) it will be securely stored in a location that is easily available if required in an emergency, including during any external activity or trip. If required, the temperature of the facility used to store any medicines, including a medicines fridge, will be recorded on a daily basis to ensure that the required temperature is maintained.

In the event of medicines needing to be transported to and from school on a daily basis, i.e. antibiotics, the parent is responsible for ensuring that both delivery and collection occurs.

The school is not responsible for disposing of medicines and in the event that medicines are out of date then parents will be requested to collect it. Parents are responsible for ensuring that expired or unwanted medicines are returned to the pharmacy for safe disposal. Parents must collect all unused medicines at the end of the agreed administration period. Should medicines be left at school beyond three months, despite attempts made to contact the parent to collect it, it will be given by the school to a pharmacy for safe disposal.

Trips and Outings (refer to policy on Policies Page)

Children with medical needs are given the same opportunities as other children. Staff may need to consider what reasonable adjustments they might make to enable children with medical needs to participate fully and safely on visits. This may include carrying out a risk assessment for such children. The school visit coordinator will be responsible for tabulating medical information for each child and one member of staff will be nominated as having responsibility for the administration of all medication. Roles and responsibilities of parents/carers as outlined below will apply.

Roles and responsibilities

The governing body

The governing body has ultimate responsibility to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions, which includes the administration of medicines. The governing body will ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they are responsible for supporting children with medical conditions and/or administration of medicines.

The Headteacher will:

  • Make sure all staff are aware of this policy and understand their role in its implementation
  • Ensure that there is a sufficient number of trained staff available to implement this policy and deliver against all healthcare plans and requirements for administration of medicines, including in contingency and emergency situations
  • Take overall responsibility for the development of healthcare plans
  • Ensure that liaison takes place with named healthcare professionals in the case of any pupil who has a medical condition that may require support at school
  • Ensure that systems are in place for obtaining information about a child’s medical needs and any needs for administration of medicines, and that this information is kept up to date

Staff will:

Supporting pupils with medical conditions during school hours is not the sole responsibility of one person. Any member of staff may be asked to provide support to pupils with medical conditions, although they will not be required to do so. This includes the administration of medicines. Those staff who take on the responsibility to support pupils with medical conditions and/or administration of medicines will receive sufficient and suitable training, and will achieve the necessary level of competence before doing so. Staff required to administer medicines are covered by the Academy’s liability insurance, a copy of which is available on request. Teachers will take into account the needs of pupils with medical conditions that they teach. All staff will know what to do and respond accordingly when they become aware that a pupil with a medical condition needs help.

Parents will:

  • Provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about their child’s medical needs, including required information about administration of medicines
  • Be involved in the development and review of their child’s healthcare plan
  • Carry out any action they have agreed to as part of the implementation of the healthcare plan
  • Submit a completed permission form prior to before bringing medicine into school
  • Provide the school with the medicine their child requires
  • Notify the school if their child’s medical condition and/or medicine changes or is discontinued, or any changes in the dose or administration method
  • Ensure they, or another nominated adult, are contactable at all times in case of medical emergencies. N.B. we request that there are two or more emergency contact phone numbers for all pupils

Pupils will:

Pupils with medical conditions will often be best placed to provide information about how their condition affects them. Pupils should be fully involved in discussions about their medical support needs and contribute as much as possible to the development of their healthcare plan. They are also expected to comply with their healthcare plan.

If Parents & Carers have any questions please contact the School Office.