Medical Policy (Supporting pupils with medical conditions) Date if issue Approval Review date September 2014 Headteacher April 2017
Rushmere Hall Primary School wishes to ensure that pupils with medical conditions receive appropriate care and support at school. All pupils have an entitlement to a full time curriculum or as much as their medical conditions allow. This policy has been developed in line with the DfE statutory guidelines released in April 2014, under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The statutory duty can into force on 1 st September 2014. The school will have regard for the duty guidelines issued, to ensure that the needs of all pupils (and in particular SEND pupils) with medical conditions are met. Key roles and responsibilities The Local Authority is responsible for; 1. Promoting cooperation between relevant partners regarding supporting pupils with medical conditions. 2. Providing support, advice/ guidance and training to schools and their staff to ensure Individual Health Care Plans (IHP) are effectively delivered. 3. Working with schools to ensure pupils attend full time or make alternative arrangements for the education of pupils who need to be out of school for fifteen days or more due to a health need and who otherwise would not receive suitable education. Rushmere Hall Governing Body is responsible for; 1. Ensuring arrangements are in place to support pupils with medical conditions. 2. Ensuring the policy is implemented effectively. 3. Ensuring that the policy does not discriminate on any grounds, including but not limited to ethnicity, origin, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, disability. 4. Ensuring the policy covers arrangements for pupils who are competent to manage their own health needs. 5. Ensuring that all pupils with medical conditions are able to play a full and active role in all aspects of school life, participate in school visits, sporting activities and remain healthy to achieve academic potential. 6. Ensure that relevant training is delivered to a sufficient number of staff who will have responsibility to support children with medical conditions. 7. Staff have access to information, resources and materials. 8. Ensuring written records are accurately maintained and stored appropriately.
The Headteacher is responsible for; 1. Ensuring the policy is implemented and followed effectively by all staff. 2. The day to day management of supporting pupils with medical conditions. 3. Liaising with health care professionals regarding training requirements for staff. 4. Identifying staff that need to be aware of children with medical conditions. 5. Ensure the development of the IHP is carried out appropriately by a member of the management team in the school. 6. Ensuring sufficient number of trained staff are available throughout the school day. 7. Facilitate the recruitment of staff to maintain the delivery of this policy. 8. Ensuring the correct level of insurance is in place. 9. Ensure the continuos liaison between school nurses and the school. 10. Assigning appropriate accommodation for medical treatment. 11. Holding spare asthma inhalers for emergency use. Staff members are responsible for; 1. Take the appropriate steps to support children with medical conditions and familiarising themselves with procedures which detail how to respond when they become aware that a pupil with a medical condition needs help. 2. Know where controlled drugs are stored and where the key is held. 3. Take account of the needs of pupils with medical conditions in lessons. 4. Undertake the necessary training to provide appropriate support (and renew with the support of the school s management team). 5. Allowing inhalers, adrenalin pens to be stored in accessible locations. School nurses are responsible for; 1. Collaborating on the development of the IHP in anticipation of a child joining the school. 2. Notify the school when a child has been identified as requiring medical support at any point in their school career. 3. Supporting staff to implement the IHP (training, advice, etc). 4. Liaise locally with lead clinicians on appropriate support and assisting the Headteacher in identifying training requirements when they arise.
Parents and Carers are responsible for; 1. Keeping the school informed about any new medical condition or changes to their child s health. 2. Participating the in the review of the IHP. 3. Completing the school s consent form to administer medicine or treatment before bringing medication into school. 4. Carrying out actions assigned to them in the IHP and being contactable at all times. Pupils are responsible for: 1. Providing information on how their medical conditions affects them. 2. Contributing to the IHP. 3. Complying with the IHP and self managing their medication or health needs if judged competent to do so by an agreed health professional and the parent. The training of staff 1. Newly appointed staff to be made fully aware of the policy on arrival. 2. No staff member to administer prescription medicines or undertake any health care procedures without undergoing training specific to the condition and signed off as competent. 3. School will keep a record of medical conditions supported, traning undertaken and a list of teachers qualified to undertake responsibilities under this policy. Medical conditions register (or list) 1. Schools admissions forms should request information on pre-existing medical conditions. 2. Parents must inform schools at any point in the school year when changes occur to a medical condition or new ones arise. Consideration should be given to seeking consent from GPs to have input into the IHP. 3. The medical register or list is regular updated and checked and that class teachers and support staff are aware of medical needs in their form groups. 4. Medical conditions will constitute a part of the transition or information between key stages as the child moves up through the school.
Individual Health Care Plans 1. Where necessary (Headteachers will make the final decision) an Individual Health Care Plan will be developed in collaboration with the pupil, parent/carer, Headteacher, SENCo, and medical professionals. 2. IHPs will be easily accessible to all relevant staff whilst preserving confidentiality. 3. In the case of illnesses with potentially life threatening implications, the information will be available and clearly accessible to everyone concerned (school office, medical bay, staff room). 4. IHPs will be reviewed annually and usually by the SENCo (or earlier if a new symptom or condition or change to circumstances occur). 5. Where a child has an EHCP (Education, Health & Care Plan) or a Statement of SEN support, the IHP will be linked to it or become part of it. 6. Where a child is returning from a period of hospital education or alternative provision or home tuition, collaboration between the LA/AP provider and school is needed to ensure that the IHP identifies the support the child needs to reintegrate. Transport 1. Where a child with an IHP is allocated school transport, a copy of the IHP will sent to the transport team (Suffolk CC) and kept on pupil records. 2. For some medical conditions the driver will require adequate training. This must be planned in advance by professional bodies associated with the plan. 3. When prescribed or controlled medicine is sent to the school, parents/carers will be responsible for handing over to the driver and in turn the driver will be responsible for handing over to the school office. Approval to achieve this must be sought form the transport team. Medicines 1. Where possible, unless advised it would be detrimental to health, medicines should be prescribed in frequencies that allow the pupil to take them outside of school hours. 2. If this is not possible, prior to staff members administering any medication, the parent/carers of the child must complete and sign a parental consent for staff to administer medicines. 3. No child will be given any prescription or non prescription medicines without written parental consent except in exceptional circumstances.
4. Where a pupils is prescribed medication by a healthcare professional without their parent s/carer s knowledge, every effort will be made to encourage the pupil to involve their parent/carer while respecting their right to confidentiality. 5. No child under 16 years of age will be given medication containing aspirin without a doctor s prescription. 6. Medicines must be in date, labelled and provided in the original container with dosage instructions. Medicines which do not meet this criteria will not be administered. 7. A maximum of four weeks supply of the medication may be provided to the school at any one time. 8. A child who has been prescribed a controlled drug may legally have it in their possession if they are deemed competent to do so, but passing it to another child is an offence. Monitoring arrangements must be made by an appropriate adult. For all other situations, the controlled drugs must be securely stored with access by named staff only and/or clearly accessible in an emergency situation. 9. Medication will be stored in the medical bay. 10. Any medication left over at the end of the course will be handed back to the parent or carer for disposal. 11. Written records will be clearly maintained for any medication administered in school at the medical bay. Pupils will never be prevented for accessing their medication when it is needed. 12. Rushmere Hall Primary School cannot be held responsible for side effects that occur when medication is taken correctly. 13. Staff will not force a pupil to take medication if they do not wish to comply. The parent/ carer (and school nurse) must be immediately contacted in this case. Emergencies 1. Medical emergencies will be dealt with under the school s emergency procedures. Staff must be aware of signs and symptoms that constitute an emergency. 2. Pupils will be informed of what to do in the case of an emergency, such as telling the teacher. 3. If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will remain with the child until their parents arrive.
Day Trip, residential visits and sporting activities 1. Unambiguous arrangements should be made and be flexible enough to ensure pupils with medical conditions can participate in school trips, residential stays, sports activities and not prevent them from doing so unless a clinician states it is not possible. 2. T comply with best practice risk assessments should be undertaken, in line with the H&S Executive guidelines on school trips, in order to plan for including pupils with medical conditions. Consultation with parents, healthcare professionals etc. on trips and visits will be separate to the normal day to day IHP requirements for the school day. 3. Avoiding unacceptable practice 1. Each case will judged independently. 2. The following behaviour is unacceptable - Preventing children from accessing medication when the policy guideline are in place and being followed. - Assuming that children with the same conditions receive the same treatment - Ignoring the views of pupils or parents/ carers - Sending pupils home frequently and preventing them from taking part in an activity - Sending the pupil to the medical room alone and left alone - Penalising a pupil with a medical condition for their attendance record where absent is related to the medical condition - Making parents /carers feel obliged or forcing parents to attend school to administer medication or provide medical support, including toilet issues. - Creating barriers to children participating in school life (or trips) and refusing to allow a child access to the toilet as and when required, or food and drink as and when required if stipulated in the IHP. Insurance 1. Teachers who undertake responsibilities within the policy will be assured by the Headteacher that they are covered by the LA/school s insurance. 2. Full written insurance policy documents are available to be viewed by members of staff who are providing support to pupils with medical conditions. Those who wish to see the documents should contact the Headteacher.
Complaints 1. All complaints should be raised with the school in the first instance. 2. Full details of further complaints procedure, including the local authority guidelines, are available on the school s website at www.rushmerehall.org.uk Definitions Parent/Carers is a wide reference not only to a pupil s birth parents but to adoptive, step or foster parents, or other persons who have parental responsibility for, or who have care of, a pupil. Medical condition for these purposes is either a physical or mental health medical condition as diagnosed by a healthcare professional which results in the child or young person requiring special adjustments for the school day, either ongoing or intermittently. This includes; a chronic or short term condition, a long term health need or disability, an illness, injury or recovery from treatment or surgery. Being unwell and common childhood diseases are not covered. Medication is defined as any prescribed or over the counter treatment. Prescription medication is defined as any drug or device prescribed by a doctor, prescribing nurse or dentist and dispensed by a pharmacist with instructions for administration, doce and storage. Staff membered is defined as any member of staff employed at Rushmere Hall Primary School. Review This document will be reviewed every two years by the Headteacher and Management Team at Rushmere Hall Primary School.