Introduction 

Most children will have at some time a medical condition that may affect their participation in school activities.  For many this will be short-term; perhaps finishing a course of medication.

Other children have medical conditions that, if not properly managed, could limit their access to education.  Such children are regarded as having medical needs.  Most children with medical needs are able to attend school regularly and with some support from school, can take part in most normal school activities.  However, staff may need to take extra care in supervising some activities to make sure that these children, and others, are not put at risk.

There will be some children whose access to the curriculum is impaired not so much by the need to take medication but that their condition brings with it a level of dependency on adult support to meet their personal needs.  This policy seeks to include these children and their needs.

Parents or guardians have prime responsibility for their child’s health and should provide school with the information about their child’s medical condition.  We encourage parents/carers to provide school with sufficient information about their child’s medical condition and any treatment or special care needed at school, on admission, and keep us informed of any new or changing needs.  If there are any special religious and /or cultural beliefs which may affect medical care that the child needs, particularly in the event of an emergency, we rely on parents/carers to inform us and confirm this in writing.  Such information will be kept on the child’s personal record.  This policy provides information on our procedures for the storage and administration of medicines to children and the procedures for children who are able to self- administer.

* There is no legal duty which requires school staff to administer medication; this is a voluntary role however school should take all reasonable steps to ensure a child can attend school without interruption to their education.  Staff who provide support for children with medical needs, or who volunteer to administer medication, should receive support from the head and parent, access to information and training, and reassurance about their legal liability.  Staff should, whenever they feel it necessary, consult with their respective professional associations.

Good Practice 

Children and young people with medical conditions are entitled to a full education and have the same rights of admission to school as other children.  Pupils with a medical condition will not be denied admission or be prevented from taking up a place in school because arrangements for their medical condition have not been made.

Definition of ‘Medical Conditions’

The DfE does not provide a definition of ‘medical conditions’, or a list of conditions that would be classified as such. The school understands that medical conditions refers to either a physical or mental health medical condition, as diagnosed by a healthcare professional, which results in the child requiring special adjustments for the school day, either on-going or intermittently.

This includes a chronic or short-term condition, a long-term health need or disability, an illness, injury or recovery treatment or surgery. Being unwell and common childhood diseases are not covered.

Responsibilities

It is important that responsibilities for children’s safety is clearly defined and that each person involved with children’s medical needs is aware of what is expected of them. Close co-operation between school, parents, health professionals and other agencies will help provide a suitably supportive environment for children with medical needs.

The Local Authority (LA) is responsible for:

The LA is responsible under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for making sure that a school has a Health and Safety Policy. This should include procedures for supporting children with medical needs, and managing medication. In the event of legal action over an allegation of negligence, the employer rather than the employee is likely to be held responsible.  It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that correct procedures are followed.

Where children would not receive a suitable education in a mainstream school because of their health needs, the Local Authority has a duty to make other arrangements. Please refer to the Local Offer for more details.  Statutory guidance for local authorities sets out that they should be ready to make arrangements under this duty when it is clear that a child will be away from school for 15 days or more because of health needs.

The Governing Body of Stoke Primary School is responsible for:

• Ensuring the Headteacher implements this policy effectively. 
• Ensuring that the individual healthcare plans are devised, implemented and monitored by the Headteacher/SENCO, working in partnership with the parents, child and relevant healthcare professionals.
• Making sure that written records are kept of all medicines administered to children.
• Ensuring that all Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs) actively support students with medical conditions to participate in school trips and visits, or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so. 
• Supporting staff and ensuring that they are  properly trained to provide the support that students need. 
• Ensuring that the school’s policy sets out what should happen in an emergency situation. 
• Making sure that the appropriate level of insurance is in place and appropriately reflects the level of risk, with risk assessment being carried, when appropriate. 
• Ensuring the school provides parents with information about the Local Offer and the School Offer including information displayed on the school website. 
• Supporting parents to ensure they provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about their child’s medical needs. This will be prompted with an annual data check.

The Head Teacher is responsible for:

• Implementing the Governing Board’s policy in practice and for developing detailed procedures.
• Ensuring that good lines of communications exist between parents and all relevant education and healthcare professionals.
• Ensuring the teachers who volunteer should receive proper training and support. 
• The day to day decisions on administering medication.
• Sharing information with relevant staff to ensure the best care for the child after seeking parental agreement to do so.
• Ensuring that wherever possible the parent is not inconvenienced from work in order to support the pupil or administer medication at school.

The SENCO is responsible for:

• Supporting teachers, teaching assistants and midday supervisors in implementing the policy for individual children.
• Liaising with healthcare professionals regarding the training required for staff.
• Identifying staff who need to be aware of a child’s medical condition.
• Liaising with Schools Health in the case of any child who has or develops an identified medical condition.

Staff members are responsible for:

• Taking appropriate steps to support children with medical conditions and familiarising themselves with any procedures which detail how to respond when they become aware that a pupil with a medical condition needs help.
• Knowing where controlled drugs are stored and where the key is held. NB. These are not usually stored on site. Should the need arise in relation to a particular child, relevant procedures would be included in the IHP, which would be shared with all staff involved with that child.
• Taking account of the needs of pupils with medical conditions in lessons.
• Undertaking training to achieve the necessary competency for supporting pupils with medical conditions, with particular specialist training if they have agreed to undertake a medication responsibility.
• Allowing inhalers, adrenalin pens and blood glucose testers to be held in an accessible location, following DfE guidance.

Parents and carers are responsible for:

• Keeping the school informed about any new medical condition or changes to their child’s health.
• Participating in the development and regular review of their child’s IHP.
• Completing a parental consent form to administer medicine or treatment before bringing medication into school.
• Providing the school with the medication their child requires and keeping it up to date including collecting leftover medicine.
• Carrying out actions assigned to them in the IHP, with particular emphasis on being contactable at all times.

Pupils are responsible for:

• Providing information on how their medical condition affects them.
• Contributing to their IHP.
• Complying with the IHP and self-managing their medication or health needs (including carrying medicines or devices), if judged competent to do so by a healthcare professional and agreed by parents.

Individual Healthcare Plans

IHPs will give due consideration to the following points and support staff in providing the appropriate care and support for a child with a medical condition:

• Be clear and concise. 
• Be written in partnership with parents, child, healthcare professional and key staff. 
• Be reviewed annually or when there is a change in the condition of the child. 
• Be easily accessible whilst preserving confidentiality.
• Securely stored by the Deputy Headteacher/SENCO. 
• Outline educational provision if the child is unable to attend school. 
• Contain details of the medical condition, its triggers, signs, symptoms and treatments. 
• Include relevant SEND information. 
• Provide details of the child’s resulting needs, including medication (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, modifications to buildings, furniture or equipment, and environmental issues e.g. crowded corridors, travel time between breaks and lessons. 
• Outline specific support for the child’s educational, social and emotional needs – for example, how absences will be managed, changes to the school day and details of a personalised curriculum, requirements for extra time to complete exams, use of rest periods or additional support in catching up with lessons, counselling sessions etc. 
• Outline the level of support needed, (some children will be able to take responsibility for their own health needs), including in emergencies. If a child is self-managing their medication, this should be clearly stated with appropriate arrangements for monitoring. 
• State who will provide this support, their training needs, expectations of their role and confirmation of proficiency to provide support for the child’s medical condition from a healthcare professional; and cover arrangements for when they are unavailable. 
• State contingency plan and plan of action in the event of an emergency.

IHPs will be reviewed annually, or when a child’s medical circumstances change.

Procedure for Managing Medicines

These are set out in the Medicine’s Policy. In the case, of a child requiring a controlled medication, outside the usual kinds of medication that might be brought into school, this will be identified in the child’s IHP, along with the procedures for its administration.

Emergency Situations

1. Medical emergencies will be dealt with under the school’s emergency procedures, set out in the Health and Safety Policy.

2. If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will remain with the child until their parents arrive.

Access to the Curriculum and Extra Curriculum Activities

Arrangements should be made, and be flexible enough, to ensure pupils with medical conditions can participate in school trips, residential stays and sports activities. They should not be prevented from doing so, unless a clinician states it is not possible.

To comply with best practice, risk assessments should be undertaken, in line with Health and Safety Executive guidance on school trips, in order to plan for including pupils with medical conditions. There should be consultation with parents and healthcare professionals around proposed trips, etc. which are separate to the normal day-to-day IHP requirements for the school day.

Appendix 1(i)

Date of Birth:NHS No:  

Address:

  Name of School: Class:Date completed:Date 1^st Review:Date 2^nd Review: 

GP Name & Tel Number

CONDITION:

Describe pupil's individual symptoms:

Describe what constitutes an emergency for the pupil, the action to take and follow up care:

Describe pupil's requirements, e.g. before sport / lunchtimes:

Agreement and Conclusion:

Both school and parents should hold a copy or this Healthcare Plan. Please send a copy to the School Nurse to be put in the Child Health records. Any necessary revisions will be between the school and parents.

Agreed and Signed:

Parent____________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher______________________________ Date_________________

School Nurse_______________________________ Date__________________

1^st Review:

Parent____________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher______________________________ Date_________________

___________________________________________________________________

2^nd Review:

Parent___________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher____________________________ Date________________

Appendix 1(ii)

Date of Birth:NHS No:  

Address:

   Name of School: Class: Date completed:Date 1^st Review:Date 2^nd Review: 

GP Name & Tel Number

ALLERGIC TO:

MEDICATION:

Severe Reaction (rare)

• Wheeze, difficulty in breathing or a choking feeling
• Swelling of the tongue or throat
• Floppiness, collapse or deteriorating consciousness.

Treatment:

1. Send someone to call for an ambulance immediately

(Dial 999). Tell the operator this is an emergency case of anaphylaxis.

2. If there is collapse or severe difficulty breathing give the adrenaline pen injection (also called epinephrine)

• Pull off grey safety cap
• Place black tip onto side of thigh, at right angles to the leg
• Press hard into the thigh until you hear the pen click
• Hold in place for 10 seconds
• Massage injection site for 10 seconds
• Place in recovery position if appropriate
• Do not allow to stand up

3. If the adrenaline pen is used the child/young person must always go to hospital.

Any additional instruction’s e.g. asthma care:

Please note that it is the parent/carers responsibility to ensure that the adrenaline pen is not out of date

Mild or Moderate Reactions (very common)

Possible symptoms: (Please delete or add as appropriate as symptoms may vary).

Itching skin, rash, tickly throat, mild swelling (such as face or lips)

Medication:

Antihistamines…………………………….syrup/tablets (delete as appropriate)

Syrup give……………5ml spoonful immediately OR

Tablets give ….………. mg tablet immediately

Any additional instructions e.g. asthma medication

Agreement and Conclusion:

Both school and parents should hold a copy or this Healthcare Plan. Please send a copy to the School Nurse to be put in the Child Health records. Any necessary revisions will be between the school and parents.

Agreed and Signed:

Parent____________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher______________________________ Date_________________

School Nurse_______________________________ Date__________________

___________________________________________________________________

1^st Review:

Parent____________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher______________________________ Date_________________

___________________________________________________________________

2^nd Review:

Parent___________________________________ Date_________________

Head Teacher____________________________ Date__________________

Appendix 2

School Procedures on being informed of a medical need:

• Healthcare professional or parent informs school of medical needs on admission, or if newly diagnosed, or that needs have changed.
• First Aid, SENCo and teachers to identify those children needing an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHCP) with a high level of medical need e.g. diabetes, severe allergic reaction (epi-pen users), and epilepsy.
• SENCo/DHT to co-ordinate IHCP through partnership meeting with parents, child, healthcare professionals, key staff as appropriate.
• Agreement reached what support is needed, and who leads on writing the IHCP (guidance p10 DfE document)
• IHCP implemented and circulated to all relevant staff.  A copy of the IHCP can be found in a folder in the staff room and another kept securely by Deputy Headteacher.
• ICHPs are reviewed annually or when conditions changes.
• In summer term, letter is sent home to remind parents to make sure spare medicines (inhaler/epi-pens) kept in school are in date.
• Administering non-prescription medicines: written permission must be provided by parents/carers, and filed in the main Office; if a child is unwell, parental permission must be sought before administering pain relief.
• Record kept of all medicines administered by trained school staff.
• Parent/carers must collect all unused medicines for disposal.
• Risk assessments for school visits and activities off site include relevant medical information.
• All consent forms include a request for medical information.
• School staff training needs identified and actioned through Head teacher/DHT and school nurse.
• Collated information passed to SENCo to include within the SEN Code of Practice for circulation to all staff at the start of the academic year.

Appendix 3

EMERGENCY PLANNING

Request for an Ambulance: