Medical Needs
Hoole St Michael’s is an inclusive school and will support the needs of children with long-term conditions and special medical needs. Staff are trained deal with those specific needs; trained staff follow procedures regarding the care and associated medication required by the child. If a child is in this category and has been prescribed regular medication please consult the Headteacher so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
The Director of Education and Cultural Services March 2002:
‘Most pupils at some time have a medical condition, which could affect their participation in school activities. This may be a short term situation or a long term medical condition which, if not properly managed, could limit their access to education. Individual schools are required to develop their own Health and Safety Policies to cover a wide variety of issues and it is suggested that in a similar way schools should develop policies and procedures for supporting pupils with medical needs, including the safe management of medication’.
Rational
Hoole St Michael CE Primary School wishes to provide a fully inclusive educational and pastoral system. To do this we need to ensure that correct procedures and protocols are in place to enable any pupil with a long-term medical condition to be able to attend school or have minimum disruption to their education.
Aims
- To ensure as little disruption to our pupils education as possible.
- To develop staff knowledge and training in all areas necessary for our pupils.
- To ensure we develop links with all outside agency support systems including hospital teachers, Lancashire Education Medical Service (LEMS), The Inclusion and Disability Support Service (IDSS) and specific support groups.
- To ensure safe storage and administration of agreed medication.
- To provide a fully inclusive school.
Definition
This is not a policy for short-term illness and related medication for example antibiotics or paracetamol for a cold or eye infection etc.
Any pupil who is infectious or too poorly should not attend school until they are well enough.
This policy relates to pupils who have a recognised medical condition, which will last longer than 15 days and will require the pupil to have a care plan protocol in school. In such cases Lancashire Authority suggests that a protocol would generally be adopted in school with the parents consent. Occasionally a National Health Service Plan may be used.
Legal requirements
- See Statutory guidance: DFE ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ February 2014
- See Statutory ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ April 2014
Teachers are not required to administer medication or to support pupils with medical needs as part of their employment contract but they may volunteer to do so.
All staff may wish to discuss this with their particular Teacher Association and County Council regarding their indemnity policy.
In some cases the contracts for non-teaching staff or special support assistants may include references to the administration of medication and/or the undertaking of medical procedures. Such contracts will of course be agreed on an individual basis.
Hoole St Michael CE Primary School is aware of the wider context created by the extension of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to the field of education in general and the SEND Code of Practice 2014. We are therefore developing this policy and putting into place the relevant procedures to ensure we are a fully inclusive school.
Action in Emergencies
This policy does not replace the protocol and procedures already in place in school for emergency situations. Failure to act in an emergency situation could result in a teacher or other member of school staff being found in breach of the statutory duty of care.
Identification
We will work with the parents and medical professionals to ensure we have specific protocols in place as soon as the child starts school. This may take the form of information sharing, developing specific care plans, organising training, employing new staff or reorganising classroom facilities.
We will also regularly send out medical questionnaires to parents to ensure all our records are up to date.
Provision and Organisation
The school will follow the guidance given by Lancashire Authority regarding supporting pupils with medical needs in school. This policy will be kept alongside that guidance to provide a management strategy to fully support the needs of all staff, pupils and parents.
Training regarding specific conditions will be delivered as required. This is usually within the term of a new pupil beginning school but if necessary before they commence their education at Hoole St Michael CE fPrimary School. General training on awareness of medical conditions and their possible medication implications will occur annually. This will run in parallel with the schools first aid training, which will continue to be under the guidance of the Health and Safety Policy. The school nurse is also developing her systems in line with this format of training and is offering two-way support for school. Pupils requiring continuous support for a medical condition will be given an Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP).
Individual Health Care Plans (IHCP)
The main purpose of an IHCP is to identify the level of support that is needed at school for an individual child. The IHCP clarifies for staff, parents/carers and the child the help the school can provide and receive. These plans will be reviewed annually as a minimum, or more frequently at the request of parents/carers or the school, or as required
An IHCP will include:
- Details of the child’s condition
- What constitutes an emergency
- What action to take in an emergency
- What not to do in the event of an emergency
- Who to contact in an emergency
- The role of staff
- Special requirements e.g. dietary needs, pre-activity precautions
- side effects of medicines
A copy will be given to parents/carers, class teachers/childcare practitioners and a copy will be retained in the medical needs file in the office and the child’s individual file. The general medical information sheet given to all staff will indicate that the child has an IHCP.
All trained staff will ensure they are aware of the protocols and procedures for specific pupils in school through attending training provided and reading care plans devised for individual pupils.
Pupils will not be able to carry any medication with the exception of inhalers for asthma control, or care plan specified medication. No pupil is allowed to have any non-prescription drugs in school; this is to ensure that no pupil unwittingly or otherwise gives another pupil his or her medication. This approach is supported in school through our PSHE curriculum.
Medication will be either be stored in the medical needs cupboard in the school office; prescribed inhalers are kept in sealable crates in each classroom which are also taken onto the yard at lunchtimes and playtimes so that the child can access their inhaler when required. Spare keys for this cupboard in the office are retained by the headteacher. A spare Epipen is stored with the pupil’s class teacher.
Emergency medical supplies will remain stored in the first aid boxes at the bottom of the staff room stairs and in a crate stored in the entrance hall. They remain organised under the Health and Safety Policy.
School Visits
When preparing risk assessments staff will consider any reasonable adjustments they might make to enable a child with medical needs to participate fully and safely on visits.
Additional safety measures may need to be taken for outside visits and it may be that an additional staff member, a parent/carer or other volunteer might be needed to accompany a particular child. Arrangements for taking any medicines will need to be planned or as part of the risk assessment and visit planning process. A copy of IHCP should be taken on trips and visits in the event of information being needed in an emergency. When the administration of non-emergency medication is required staff may exercise their voluntary right to not administer, this right maybe selective on the grounds of the type of medication in question. The members of staff willing to administer the medication to a pupil should be recorded in the individual care plan and this voluntary responsibility can be withdrawn at any time.
Education Visits Coordinator: Mrs Alison Mesghali
Other Support
Outside agencies will be regularly contacted to support and advise school in the devising and management of this policy. Examples of such agencies are:
- School Nurse
- Medical specialists relating to pupil needs
- Social Services
- IDSS
- SEN Advisory Team
- Specialist Support Groups
- Lancashire Parent Partnership
- SEN Assessment Team
- Educational Psychology Team
- Child Protection Team
- Hospital Teachers
- Home Tutors
- LEMIS
ADMINISTERING MEDICINES
The School staff is not legally, or contractually, required to give medicines to children but to note medical conditions and we do discourage medicines in school. Wherever possible please arrange for your child to receive their medicine outside school hours.
Unprescribed medicine
No unprescribed medicine will be administered by the school staff.
Prescribed medicines
We recognise that there may be times when a prescribed medicine has to be administered in school and the Headteacher should be notified, in writing, on the appropriate form.
For medication prescribed by a doctor or dentist, which only require a 3 times per day administration, we would expect these doses to be given out of school time.
For medication prescribed by a doctor or dentist, which needs a 4 times per day administration and therefore requires a dose to be administered in school, the parents will be able to visit the school during the day to administer medication in person. If the parent can demonstrate that they are unable to come into school, this must be clear when completing the relevant form.
If your child is self administering medication please ensure that the school has a letter indicating the child’s needs with details of time and frequency of administration so that reminders may be given. We will, wherever possible, observe the child administering their own dose of the prescribed medicine rather than us administering to them. This obviously depends on the age of the child and nature of the medicine.
Children with asthma may keep their medicines in school following the completion of the appropriate form from the school office.
The parent must supply the medication in a suitable container clearly labelled with:
- the child’s name
- the name of the medicine
- the method, dosage and timing of administration
- the date of issue and the expiry date of the course of treatment
- Whenever possible parents should ask their GP to prescribe medication in dose frequencies which enable it to be taken outside school hours.
- Details of possible side effects should also be given.
- The medicines should be packed and labelled professionally.
- Where possible not more than one week’s supply should be sent at one time.
- It is important that an up-to-date record of the parent’s home and work telephone numbers be kept so that they can be contacted at any time.
- Medicines are kept in a safe and secure place, separate from the first aid box.
- A record is kept of when a prescribed medicine is administered in school.
- Bronchodilators and medications needed in an emergency will be readily accessible.
- A designated member of staff (Ms Barlow and in her absence, Mr Kenyon) will be made responsible for administering medication.
- Medicines no longer required will be handed back to the parent.
- We expect parents to collect medicines after a reasonable period of time; if not they will be given to a pharmacist for disposal.