Supporting children and young people with medical conditions - St Patrick's Primary School, Liverpool

The Supporting children and young people with Medical Conditions in school Policy will provide guidance to ensure:

That the school meets its statutory responsibilities to manage medicines and medical conditions in line with Government guidance ‘Supporting pupils at school with Medical conditions’ and the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice: 0-25 years’.
That the school implements inclusive practices to support children and young people with medical conditions.
That the school aims to provide all pupils with all medical conditions the same opportunities as others at school.

The school will ensure the implementation of the Supporting Medical Conditions in school Policy to meet the following values and principles:

All children and staff are encouraged to be healthy and stay safe
Parents, children and young people feel secure and confident in the schools ability to support their child.
Pupils make a positive contribution and get to experience a wide and varied curriculum and experiences.
Ensure all staff understand their duty of care to safeguard children and young people in all aspects of their needs and especially within the event of an emergency.
Ensure appropriate staff are appropriately trained, competent and confident in knowing what to do in an emergency.
That the school understands the importance of medication being taken as prescribed.
Relevant staff understand common medical conditions that affect children at our school.
Appropriate staff receive training on the impact of medical conditions on children from specialist medical staff.
The Head Teacher, along with the Governing Body, is responsible for ensuring this policy is fully implemented and monitored regularly.

The school is an inclusive community that aims to support and welcome all children and young people including those with medical conditions

The Governing Body understands that it has a responsibility to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions who currently attend and to those who may attend in the future.
Pupils with medical conditions are encouraged to take control of their condition. Pupils feel confident in the support they receive from the school to help them do this.
The school ensures to provide all children with all medical conditions the same opportunities at school.
The school aims to include all pupils with medical conditions in all school activities.
The school ensures all staff understand their duty of care to children and young people in the event of an emergency.
Parents of pupils with medical conditions feel secure in the care their children receive in school and on educational visits.
All staff are confident in knowing what to do in an emergency.
There is knowledge that certain medical conditions are serious and can be potentially life-threatening.
Relevant staff understand the common medical conditions including asthma, Epilepsy, Diabetes and Anaphylaxis) that can affect all children/young people in school. Staff receive training on the impact this can have on pupils.

Key Staff understand their role and are trained to a level that fulfils and informs them in what to do to support children in their care with medical conditions. To do this to the best of our ability we will need to work alongside health professionals, ensuring that we are meeting their needs. Medical information shared with the school and the opportunity to attend meetings will provide us with this necessary information ensuring needs are met at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School. By sharing medical information with school we are able to uphold this policy.

All staff at the school are aware of the children who have common serious medical conditions in their care.
Staff understand their duty of care to pupils in the event of an emergency.
In an emergency situation school staff are required under common law duty of care to act like any reasonably prudent parent. This may include administering medication.
All staff that work directly with pupils receive training and know what to do in an emergency for the pupils in their care with medical conditions.
Training is refreshed for staff as appropriate and is referred to in the child Individual Healthcare Plan when updated by the relevant healthcare professional.
Action for relevant staff to take in an emergency for the common serious conditions at the school is known by all staff.
The school uses the child Individual Healthcare Plan to inform the appropriate staff of pupils in their care who may need help.
The school has plans in place to cover staff absence and sickness.

Governing Body

The school’s Governing Body has a responsibility to:

Uphold the Equality Act 2010 and make any reasonable adjustments.
Ensure that arrangements are in place to support pupils with medical conditions. In doing so they should ensure that such children can access and enjoy the same opportunities at school as any other child.
Take into account that many of the medical conditions that require support at school will affect quality of life and may be life-threatening and therefore focuses on the needs of the individual child.
Make sure the supporting medical conditions in school policy is effectively implemented, monitored and evaluated and updated in line with the school policy review timeline.
Ensure all parents are fully aware and understand their responsibilities.

Head teacher

The school’s head teacher has a responsibility to:

Ensure the school puts the policy into practice and develop procedures.

Liaise between interested parties including child, school staff, SENCO, teaching assistants, school nurses, parents, governors, the school health service, the Local Authority and local emergency care services and seek advice when necessary.

Ensure that information held by the school is accurate and up to date and that there are good information sharing systems in place using Individual Healthcare Plans.
Ensure child/young person’s confidentiality.
Support the development needs of staff and arrange for them to be met via formally commissioned arrangements.
Ensure all new staff know the medical conditions policy.
Delegate a staff member to check the expiry date of medicines kept at school and maintain the school medical register.
Monitor and review the policy in line with the school policy review timeline.
In partnership with the parent, have joint responsibility for the safe travel of the child during trips.
Provide staff to cover absence.

All school staff

All staff at the school have a responsibility to:

Be aware of the potential triggers, signs and symptoms of common medical conditions and know who to contact in an emergency.
Understand the policy and how this impacts on children and young person’s education.
Know which children in their care have a medical condition and be familiar with the content of the child’s Individual Healthcare Plan.
Allow all children to have immediate access to their emergency medication.
Maintain effective communication with parents including informing them if their child has been unwell at school.
Ensure children who have written permission from parents carry their medication with them when they go on a school visit or access relevant areas of the school e.g. playing field.
Be aware of child with medical conditions who may be experiencing bullying or need extra social support.
Understand the common medical conditions and the impact it can have on the child.
Ensure all child with medical conditions are not excluded unnecessarily from activities they wish to take part in.
Ensure children have the appropriate medication or food with them during any exercise and are allowed to take it when needed.

First aider

First aiders at the school have a responsibility to:

Give immediate help to casualties with common injuries or illnesses and those arising from specific hazards with the school.
When necessary ensure that an ambulance or other professional medical help is called. Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO)

The SENCO at the school has responsibility to:

Help update the school’s medical condition policy.
Know which child have a medical condition and which have special educational needs because of their condition.
Be the key member or liaise with other staff to help child with medical conditions make expected progress.
Ensure teachers make the necessary arrangements and make reasonable adjustments if a child needs special consideration or access arrangements in exams or course work.

Health Services

The school nurse and others from the local Health Community and services who work with the school has a responsibility to:

Co-operate with schools to support children with a medical condition.
Be aware of the needs and training the school staff need in managing the most common medical conditions at school.
Provide information about where the school can access other specialist training or alternatively provide training if this has been locally developed.

Other healthcare professionals, including GPs and paediatricians have responsibility to:

Notify the school nurse when a child has been identified as having a medical condition that will require support at school.
Provide advice on developing healthcare plans.
Consider that Specialist local health teams may be able to provide support in schools for children with particular conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes, epilepsy).

Parents

The parents of a child at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School have a responsibility to:

Tell the school if their child has a medical condition and provide relevant medical information directly from the relevant medical professionals regarding diagnoses.
Ensure the school has a complete and up-to-date Healthcare Plan for their child if necessary.
Inform the school about the medication their child requires during school hours.
Inform the school of any medication their child requires while taking part in educational visits or residential visits, especially when these include overnight stays.
Tell the school about any changes to their child’s medication, what they take, when, and how much.
Inform the school of any changes to their child’s condition supported by medical information.
Ensure their child’s medication and medical devices are labelled with their child’s full name and date of birth and a spare is provided with the same information.
Ensure that their child’s medication is within expiry dates.
Inform the school if your child is feeling unwell.
Ensure their child catches up on any school work they have missed.
Ensure their child has regular reviews about their condition with their doctor or specialist healthcare professional and information that will require the school to support your child is passed on to them.
Ensure their child has a written care/self-management plan if necessary from their doctor or specialist healthcare professional to help their child manage their condition.

All staff understand and are trained in the school’s general emergency procedures.

The school has a general Health and Safety Policy that includes risk assessments and have arrangements in place to deal with emergencies.
All staff know what action to take in the event of a medical emergency. This includes:
- how to contact emergency services and what information to give
- who to contact within the school.
- Action to take in a general medical emergency is available in the school office staff.

If a child needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will always accompany them and will stay with them until a parent arrives. The school tries to ensure that the staff member will be one the child knows.
Staff should not take child to hospital in their own car it is safer to call an ambulance.

Administration – general

The school understands the importance of medication being taken as prescribed.
All staff are aware that there is no legal or contractual duty for any member of staff to administer medication or supervise a child taking medication unless they have been specifically contracted to do so.
All use of medication defined as a controlled drug (eg Ritalin), is done under the supervision of a named member of staff at this school.
If a trained member of staff, who is usually responsible for administering medication, is not available the school makes alternative arrangements to continue to provide this support.
For medication where no specific training is necessary, any member of staff may administer prescribed and non-prescribed medication to children but only with the written consent of their parent.
Training is given to all staff members who agree to administer medication to pupils, where specific training is needed. The local authority provides full indemnity.
Parents understand that if their child’s medication changes or is discontinued, or the dose or administration method changes, that they should notify the school immediately.
If a child refuses their medication, staff should not force them and record this. Parents are informed as soon as possible.
If a child misuses medication, either their own or another child’s, their parents are informed as soon as possible. These children are subject to the school’s usual disciplinary procedures.

Administration of Medication

All children with medical conditions have access to their medication.
All children are encouraged to have access to and administer their own medication, when their parents and health professionals determine they are able to begin taking responsibility.
A child who does not carry and administer their own medication knows where their medication is stored and how to access it.
Children who do not carry and administer their own medication understand the arrangements for a member of staff (and the secondary member of staff) to assist in helping them take their medication safely.

Administration/Admission forms

Parents are asked if their child has any health conditions or health issues on the admission form, which is filled out at the start of each school year. Parents of new pupils starting at other times during the year are also asked to provide this information on admission forms.

School Medical register

Individual Healthcare Plans are one document that is used to create a Medical register of pupils with medical needs, not all children with medical conditions will need an individual plan. SENDCO responsibility for the medical register at school.
The SENDCO has responsibility for the medical register and follows up with the parents any further details on a child Individual Healthcare Plan required or if permission for administration of medication is unclear or incomplete.

Individual Healthcare Plans

An individual Healthcare plan may be initiated by a member of school staff, plans are drawn up with the input of healthcare professionals e.g. Specialist Nurse, parents and when appropriate the child.
If a child has a short-term medical condition that requires prescribed medication during school hours, a Request for School to Administer Medication form must be completed at the school office, medicine clearly labelled to include dosage, expiry date etc.
Where the child has SEND, the Individual Healthcare Plan should be as part of the graduated approach of Assess, Plan, Do, Review and/or linked to their statement or Education Health and Care Plan if they have one.
The school ensures that all staff protects confidentiality.
Individual Healthcare Plans are kept in a secure central location.
Apart from the central copy, specified members of staff (agreed by the pupil and parents) securely hold copies of Individual Healthcare Plans. These copies are updated at the same time as the central copy.
All members of staff who work with groups of children can access when appropriate, the Individual Healthcare Plans to provide support with their planning of teaching and learning.
When a member of staff is new to a pupil group, for example due to staff absence, the school makes sure that they are made aware of (and have access to) the Individual Healthcare Plans of children in their care.
Individual Healthcare Plans are used by the school to:
- Inform the appropriate staff about the individual needs of children with a medical condition in their care.

Ensure this school’s local emergency care services have a timely and accurate summary of a pupil’s current medical management and healthcare in the event of an emergency
Remind parents of a child with medical conditions to ensure that any medication kept at school for their child is within its expiry dates. This includes spare medication. Consent to administer medicines
If a child requires regular prescribed medication at school, parents are asked to complete a Request for School to Administer Medication form in the office.
All parents of children with a medical condition who may require medication in an emergency are asked to provide consent on the Individual Healthcare Plan for staff to administer medication.(e.g. epipen)

Off-site, Sporting Activities and Residential visits

Parents are sent a residential visit form to be completed and returned to school shortly before their child leaves for an overnight or extended day visit. This form requests up-to-date information about the child/young person’s current condition and their overall health. This provides essential and up-to-date information to relevant staff and school supervisors to help children manage their condition while they are away. This includes information about medication not normally taken during school hours.
When attending a residential visit or off-site activity (including sporting events) the lead staff member will have copies of all visit paperwork including risk assessments for children where medication is required. A copy of the Individual Healthcare Plan’s will accompany the child/young person if necessary and reference should be made to any medical conditions in the planning and risk assessment prior to the visit taking place.
All parents of a child with a medical condition attending an off-site activity or overnight residential are asked for written consent, giving staff permission to administer medication if required.
The residential visit form also details what medication and what dose the pupil is currently taking at different times of the day. It helps to provide up-to-date information to relevant staff and supervisors to help the pupil manage their condition while they are away.

Other record keeping

The school keeps an accurate record of each occasion an individual pupil is given or supervised taking medication. Details of the supervising staff member, pupil, dose, date and time are recorded. If a pupil refuses to have medication administered, this is also recorded and parents are informed as soon as possible.
All school staff who volunteer or who are contracted to administer medication are provided with training by a healthcare professional.

Safe storage – emergency medication

Emergency medication is readily available to children who require it at all times during the school day or at off-site activities. If the emergency medication is a controlled drug and needs to be locked up, the keys are readily available.
Some children with asthma have written permission from parents to access and administer their own medication at school.
Where the child’s healthcare professional advises or parents advise that they are not yet able or old enough to self-manage and carry their own medication, they know exactly where to access their medication and which member of staff they see.

Safe storage – non-emergency medication

All non-emergency medication is kept in a secure place, in a lockable cupboard in a cool dry place. Pupils with medical conditions know where their medication is stored and how to access it.
Staff ensure that medication is only accessible to those for it is prescribed.
Safe storage – general
There is an identified member of staff who ensures the correct storage of medication at school
All controlled drugs are kept in a medical cabinet in a secure area. Medicines and devices such as asthma inhalers, blood glucose testing meters and adrenalin pens are always readily available to children and not locked away.
It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure new and in date medication comes into school on the first day of the new academic year.
The identified member of staff checks the expiry dates for all medication stored at school annually.
The identified member of staff, along with the parents of children with medical conditions, will ensure that all emergency and non-emergency medication brought in to school is clearly labelled with the pupil’s name, the name and dose of the medication and the frequency of dose. This includes all medication that pupils carry themselves.
All medication is supplied and stored in its original containers/packages. All medication is labelled with the child name, date of birth, the name of the medication, expiry date and the prescriber’s instructions for administration, including dose and frequency.
Medication will be stored in accordance with instructions, paying particular note to temperature.
Some medication for pupils at this school may need to be refrigerated. All refrigerated medication is stored in an airtight container and is clearly labelled. Refrigerators used for the storage of medication are in a secure area that is only accessible to staff.
All medication is sent home with pupils at the end of the school year. Medication is not stored in summer holidays.

Safe disposal

Parents will be asked to collect out-of-date medication.
If parents do not pick up out-of-date medication, or at the end of the school year, medication is taken to a local pharmacy for safe disposal.
A named member of staff is responsible for checking the dates of medication will arrange for the disposal of any that have expired.
Sharps boxes are used for the disposal of needles. Parents obtain sharps boxes from the child’s GP or pediatrician on prescription. All sharps boxes in school are stored in a locked cupboard unless alternative safe and secure arrangements are put in place on a case-by-case basis. Arrangements should be made for their safe disposal.
If a sharps box is needed on an off-site or residential visit a named member of staff is responsible for its safe storage and return it to school or the child/young person’s parent.

Supporting Medical Conditions in school policy is regularly reviewed, evaluated and updated.

The policy is reviewed, evaluated and updated in line with the school’s policy review timeline.
Any new government guidance is sort and fed into the review, guidance will be provided by Local Authority Officers.
Local emergency care service staff (including accident & emergency and ambulance staff)
Local health professionals
The school employer
School governors
initial consultation during development of the policy.
The views of children with various medical conditions are actively sought and considered central to the evaluation process.
Parents, school staff, governors, relevant local health staff and any other external stakeholders are informed and regularly reminded about the policy and how they can impact on its implementation and review.

Complaints Procedure

If parents or carers have concerns or a dissatisfied with the support provided they should directly contact the school and follow the complaint procedure set by the school.

Policy written by: J Lewis

Date of policy: September 2019 Ratified by Governors 14.10.19

Review date: September 2021