Medical Conditions in School

Medical Conditions in School Policy

At St. Thomas’ we are an inclusive community that aims to support and welcome pupils with medical conditions. We have a medical conditions in school policy which follows Local Authority guidelines. 

Please click on the link to view the Medical Conditions in Schools Policy - Updated September 2019. If you require a hard copy you can request this from the office. 

Duty of Care

In the event of an emergency school staff are required under common law duty of care to act like any reasonable prudent parent/carer. 

School Nursing Team

St. Thomas’ works closely with the School Nursing Team to ensure we are following our medical conditions policy and providing the best possible care for your child at all times. Please be aware that information regarding your child and their medical condition may be shared with the school nurse.

First Aid

If your child was to have an accident in school they would be attended to by a qualified first aider. All of our support staff are Paediatric First Aid trained. If the injury is minor you will be informed routinely at the end of the school day by your child’s class teacher and your child will bring home an accident slip informing you of what has happened. If the injury is more severe you will be contacted by phone and informed if it is advised that your child should be consulted by a doctor/medical professional. In the case of a major accident an ambulance will be called immediately and every effort will be made to contact parents/carers. It is vital that emergency contact details are kept up to date including home, work and mobile telephone numbers.

Illness

If your child is absent from school due to illness please telephone school at the start of the day to inform the office of the reason. Certain illnesses are notifiable to the Local Authority and extra precautions may need to be taken to protect the health and well-being of vulnerable students and staff, for example pregnant females and those with chronic health conditions. If the reason your child is absent is due to vomiting or diarrhoea they should be kept off school for a minimum of 24 hours after their last episode. The school follows advice given by the local Primary Health Care Trust for guidance on infection control within school. 

Medication

In certain circumstances your child may require medication throughout the day, wherever possible medication should be given before or after school. School will only administer medication in exceptional circumstances taking into account the following guidance: 

• Medicine must be prescribed by a doctor and be labelled with the prescription containing the child’s name.
• If the medicine is to be taken 4 times per day
• A parental consent form must be filled in and signed by the parent/carer
• Medicine must be brought into and collected from the school office by an adult

Children with Medical Conditions

It is the parents/carers responsibility to inform school if their child has any chronic medical condition including asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and allergies. If your child has a more severe medical condition the school’s designated person for medical conditions will liaise and work with parents/carers and the school nurse to complete an Individual Health Plan (IHP) for your child. The IHP records important and relevant information regarding your child’s medical needs within school, their triggers, signs and symptoms, medications and other treatments. 

Storage of Asthma Inhalers and EpiPens

 If your child suffers with asthma it is required that they have an emergency blue reliever inhaler and spacer within school at all times. They will be stored in an individual easily identifiable orange medical pouch, clearly labelled with your child’s name, inside a secure but accessible medical cabinet in the classroom.  If your child suffers from severe allergies and has an EpiPen it is also required that they have one within school at all times for use in an emergency, this will also be stored in the same manner. 

Parents and Carers Responsibilities

 It is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to:

• Inform school of any changes to their child’s medical condition (this includes any newly diagnosed conditions, changes to treatments or medication and any admissions to hospital relating to such conditions).
• Ensure all medication in school (emergency and non-emergency) is prescribed by a doctor, is clearly labelled with the child’s name, the name of the medicine, the route of administration, the dose and frequency.
• Ensure that school has an adequate supply of medication that is required during school hours and that it is within the expiry date.
• Collect out of date or no longer required medication from school for safe disposal.
• Provide school with a copy of their child’s asthma plan (if they have one) from the school nurse or health care specialist to help manage their condition.
• Complete a permission slip for the administration of prescribed medicine required for both short term and long term medical conditions and state the reason for the medication.
• Ensure school has full and up to date emergency contact details for your child.