The Academy will ensure that arrangements are in place to support pupils with medical conditions to enable them to access and enjoy the same opportunities at school as any other child. The focus will be on the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on their academy life. The policy aims to provide clear guidance and procedures to staff and parents.
The overall responsibility for ensuring the policy is implemented effectively is held by the Principal with support from a member of staff who has undertaken medication training.
The Academy will work together with parents, pupils, local authorities, health professionals such as specialist nurses and other support services to ensure that children with medical needs receive a full education. In some cases this will require flexibility and involve, for example, programmes of study that rely on part-time attendance at academy in combination with alternative provision. Consideration will be given to how children will be reintegrated back into the academy after periods of absence.
No child with a medical condition will be denied admission or prevented from taking up a place because arrangements for their medical condition have not been made. However, in line with our safeguarding duties, we will ensure that pupils’ health is not put at unnecessary risk from, for example, infectious diseases. We retain the right not to accept a child at academy at times where it would be detrimental to the health of that child or to others.
The academy will work with parents where it has been brought to their attention that parents do not wish their child to be given medications, and individual assessments drawn up.
An equalities impact assessment has been carried out. The assessment concluded that there was potential adverse impact identified for some groups of people with protected characteristics and mitigations are in place to reduce that impact. The following equalities impact assessment report can be obtained from Jo Crickson.
This policy should be read alongside
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their academy with medical conditions.
Generally the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and associated legislation, requires that organisations ensure the health and safety of persons at work and persons affected by their work. Pupils attending schools fall under this general legal requirement as they are affected by the work of the school whilst staff act in loco parentis, so are expected to do what a reasonable parent would do in given situations.
Additionally, the Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. There is specific non-statutory advice ‘the Equality Act 2010 and Schools’ produced by the Department for Education to help schools to understand how the Equality Act affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the Act.
The roles and responsibilities set out below is not an exhaustive list and academies may want to add a wider range of people to their policy.
Local Authorities are commissioners of school nurses for maintained schools and academies. Under Section 10 of the Children Act 2004, they have a duty to promote co- operation between relevant partners such as governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England, with a view to improving the wellbeing of children with regard to their physical and mental health, and their education, training, and recreation.
As such they should:
All records to support the request for supporting students with medical needs is confidential and should be stored securely in a lockable cabinet/ cupboard.
Only limited and applicable staff should have access to the cupboard with strict key control in place.
Any records held digitally should be secure with restricted access.
Many pupils will need to take medication (or be given it) during the academy day at some time. Mostly, this will be for a short period only, to finish a course of antibiotics or apply a lotion. To support pupils with this will undoubtedly minimise the time they need to be off academy. Medication should only be taken in academy when absolutely necessary.
It is helpful if, where possible, medication can be prescribed in dose frequencies which enable it to be taken outside academy hours. Parents should be encouraged to ask the prescribing doctor or dentist about this.
The following procedures are to be followed when notification is received that a pupil has a medical condition.
Some children may have special educational needs (SEN) and may have a statement, or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan which brings together health and social care needs, as well as their special educational provision. Where this is the case the IHCP should be linked to or become part of that statement or EHC plan.
Where a child has Special Educational Needs but does not have a statement or EHC plan, their special educational needs should be mentioned in their individual healthcare plan.
The Academy will identify members of staff to support with the standard administration of medications, and awareness of procedures and paperwork/record keeping. The academy will arrange for these staff to attend managing medications training. Where there is a specific staff training need to support pupils with complex medical needs this will be identified by the specialist nursing team with a sufficient number of staff trained to ensure cover for sickness periods or staff turnover. A first aid certificate does not constitute appropriate training to support pupils with medical conditions.
Healthcare professionals commission, or delivers appropriate training and staff are signed off as competent. A review date for training will be agreed.
The IHCP will be implemented and circulated to all relevant staff. Supply staff will be informed that an IHCP is in place.
The IHCP will be monitored and reviewed annually or when the medical condition changes. The parent or healthcare professional may initiate the review.
For children starting at a new academy, arrangements should be in place in time for the start of the relevant academy term. In other cases, such as a new diagnosis or children moving to a new school mid-term, every effort will be made to ensure that arrangements are put in place within two weeks.
Not all pupils with medical needs will require an IHCP. The academy, together with the healthcare professional and parent will agree, based on evidence, whether a health care plan would be inappropriate or disproportionate. If consensus cannot be reached, the Principal will take the final view.
Any member of staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training. Where staff already have some knowledge of specific support needed by a child extensive training may not be required. Staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions should be included in meetings where this is discussed.
The relevant healthcare professional should normally lead on identifying the type and level of training required, and how this can be achieved.
Training should be sufficient to ensure that staff are competent and have confidence in their ability to support pupils with medical conditions and to fulfil the requirements as set out in IHCPs. They will need an understanding of the specific medical conditions they are being asked to deal with, their implications and preventative measures.
Staff MUST NOT give prescription medicines under healthcare procedures without appropriate training (updated to reflect any IHCPs). In some cases, written instructions from the parent or on the medication container dispensed by the pharmacist may be considered sufficient, CLF require all staff who administer medications to undertake managing medications training, and to have specific training to support with specific medical needs, e.g. Diabetes, asthma, anaphylaxis and other more complex needs, having taken into consideration the training requirements as specified in pupils’ IHCPs.
Health care professionals, including the school nurse, can provide confirmation of the proficiency of staff in a medical procedure, or in providing medication.
All staff to receive awareness training of the academy’s policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions and their role in implementing that policy. This will also form part of staff induction training.
Following discussions with parents and where a child is deemed competent to manage their own health needs and medicines, this should be encouraged and this should be reflected within IHCPs.
Wherever possible, children should be allowed to carry their own medicines and relevant devices or should be able to access their medicines for self-medication quickly and easily, but with an appropriate level of supervision.
If a child refuses to take medicine or carry out necessary procedure, staff should not force them to do so, but follow the procedure agreed in the IHCP. Parents should be informed so that alternative options can be considered and a record should be kept.
Medicines will only be administered at school when it would be detrimental to a child’s health or school attendance not to do so.
No child under 16 will be given prescription or non-prescription medicines without their parent’s written consent.
Non-prescribed medicines may be administered under the following circumstances:
No child under the age of 16 will be given medicine containing aspirin unless prescribed by a doctor.
Where clinically possible medicines should be prescribed in dose frequencies which enable them to be taken outside academy hours.
The academy will only accept prescribed medicines that are in-date, labelled with the child’s name, provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist. This will include instruction for administration, dosage and storage. Exceptions to this are over-the-counter medication where agreed protocols are agreed as above in point 2 and insulin which may be in a pen or pump but it must still be in date.
All medicines held by the academy to be stored will be kept in a lockable cupboard/fridge inside a lockable room which in a location which is known and accessible to the child. Where relevant the child should know who holds the key to the storage facility. Medicines such as asthma inhalers must always be readily available to the child and not locked away. This is particularly important when outside the premises e.g. academy trips.
Whilst DFE allows in some circumstances pupils to carry controlled drugs prescribed to them, in this Academy controlled drugs that have been prescribed will be securely stored with only named staff having access. A record will be kept of any doses used and the amount of the controlled drug held in academy.
Trained academy staff may administer a controlled drug to a child for whom it has been prescribed. Staff administering medicines should do so in accordance with the prescriber’s instructions.
The academy will keep a record of all medicines administered to individual children stating what, how and how much was administered, when and by whom. Any side effects should also be recorded.
When no longer required, medicines should be returned to parents to arrange for safe disposal. Medicines should also be returned to parents during holiday periods.
Each IHCP will clearly define what constitutes an emergency and explain what to do, including ensuring that all relevant staff are aware of emergency symptoms and procedures and where appropriate that other pupils know what to do if they think help is needed.
If a child is taken to hospital, a member of academy staff will stay with the child until the parent arrives.
From 1st October 2014 academies have been allowed to obtain, without a prescription, salbutamol inhalers, if they wish, for use in emergencies. Academies are not required to hold an inhaler – this is a discretionary power enabling schools to do this if they wish. (Insert academy policy on provision of emergency inhaler here).
From 1 October 2017 the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 will allow all Academies to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use in children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but their own device is not available or not working (e.g. because it is broken, or out-of-date).
The academy’s spare AAI should only be used on pupils known to be at risk of anaphylaxis, for whom both medical authorisation and written parental consent for use of the spare AAI has been provided.
The academy’s spare AAI can be administered to a pupil whose own prescribed AAI cannot be administered correctly without delay.
A defibrillators is a machine used to give an electric shock to restart a patient’s heart when they are in cardiac arrest. The academy (has/does not have) a defibrillator. (If the school has a defibrillator, insert details of its location and management arrangements here. XXXXXXXX Insert the names of those at academy who are trained in its use. The local NHS ambulance service should be notified of its location).
This is the responsibility of the local authority. The academy will work with the local authority who may find it helpful to be aware of a pupil’s IHCP and what it contains, especially in respect of emergency situations.
The academy will actively support pupils with medical conditions to enable them to participate in academy trips and visits or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so.
The academy will consider what reasonable adjustments they might make to enable children with medical needs to participate fully and safety on academy trips and visits. It is best practice to include this as part of the activity risk assessment to ensure that pupils with medical conditions are included.
The following is regarded by the academy as unacceptable practice:
The CLF fully indemnifies staff who administer medication providing they are acting within the scope of their employment, have been provided with adequate training and are following the CLF policy/guidance for the purpose of indemnity.
(Insert here the details of the academy’s insurance arrangements which cover staff providing support to pupils with medical conditions. Insurance policies should provide liability cover relating to the administration of medication. See Guidance provided by the Department for Education on supporting pupils at academy with medical conditions for more detailed guidance. You need to check this further with your insurers).
If parents or pupils are dissatisfied with the support provided by the academy to pupils with medical conditions, they should discuss their concerns directly with the academy. If the issue remains unresolved, they may make a formal complaint via the academy’s complaint procedure. (Insert details of academy complaints procedure here).
https://www.resus.org.uk/library/additional-guidance/guidance-anaphylaxis
