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Supporting children in the academy with medical needs Policy

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Co-op Academy North Manchester

Supporting Children in the Academy with Medical Needs

Policy details

Date created - July 2016
Review - 2 years
Date approved - September 2022
Next review date - September 2024
Policy owner - Hazel Garsden [North Manchester]

Aims

The overarching purpose of this policy is to make sure that all pupils can go on to lead happy and successful lives.
This policy sets out specific guidance on the principles that should apply to the management of medical conditions, including the administration of medications.
The outcome should be that they can play a full and active role in all aspects of school life including trips, educational visits and residential and extended school activities, such that they remain healthy and achieve their academic potential.
The policy applies to all staff employed at Co-op Academy North Manchester

Role and Responsibilities

All staff must be aware of this policy on supporting pupils with medical conditions, understand their role in its implementation and follow the correct procedures. All policies are available in the shared area on the school system.
The SENDCo who has responsibility for the area of inclusion will be responsible for effective implementation of this policy. The administrative side will be overseen by the designated member(s) of the admin team, particularly the admin team line manager
This policy clearly identifies how the roles and responsibilities of staff who are involved in the arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions are made clear to both staff, parents/carers and the child.
The SENDCo should ensure that all relevant staff are aware of an individual child’s medical condition and needs in conjunction with the admin team line manager
The SENDCo must liaise with relevant SLT members to ensure that sufficient numbers of staff receive appropriate training to fulfil the roles and responsibilities of supporting children with medical conditions i.e. the school is able to deliver against all Individual Healthcare Plans (IHCPs) and implement policy, including for example in contingency or emergency situations and management of staff absence.
The SENDCo will ensure that a system is in place, led by the admin team line manager which identifies procedures to be followed on receipt of notification of a pupil’s medical needs; procedures should cover any transitional arrangements or when pupil needs change (see Appendix 1). They will discuss this with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Vice Principal or Principal.
The SENDCo, the admin team line manager and Vice Principal will ensure that cover arrangements are always available in the event of staff absence or staffing changes, including briefing for volunteers, supply teachers and appropriate induction for new members of staff.
The SENDCo and the admin team line manager will ensure that IHCPs are in place, where appropriate, and developed in consultation with parents/carers, healthcare professionals, relevant staff and (if appropriate) the child or young person.
The SENDCo and admin team line manager will ensure that IHCPs are monitored and are subject to review, at least annually, or sooner if needs change.
The SENDCo liaising with relevant members of SLT, will ensure that risk assessments relating to the school environment are in place, as appropriate, including consideration for actions to take in the event of emergency situations.
The SENDCo, admin team line manager and Vice Principal with responsibility for trips will ensure that risk assessments relating to off-site visits, residential trips and extended school opportunities offered outside the normal timetable are in place, as appropriate, including consideration for actions to take in the event of emergency situations. The Designated Safeguarding Lead may need to be consulted on these.
The Principal will ensure that the Trust’s complaints procedure is in place and is accessible.
The SENDCo and the admin team line manager, liaising with a designated member(s) of the admin team will ensure that the notification procedure is followed when information about a child’s medical needs are received (Appendix 1).
The SENDCo and the admin team line manager, liaising with the designated member(s) of the admin team will ensure parents/carers provide full and up to date information about their child’s medical needs by completion of ‘Parent/Carer Information about a Child’s Medical Condition’ form (Template A).
The SENDCo and the admin team line manager will on receipt of a ‘Parent/Carer Request and Agreement for School to Administer Medicines / Medical Interventions’ form (Template B), on a case by case basis, will decide whether any medication or medical intervention will be administered, following consultation with staff. They will liaise with the Principal, if necessary.
The SENDCo and the admin team line manager will pass the decision to the Vice Principal on receipt of a ‘Parent/Carer Request for the Child’s Self–administration of Medication/Medical Intervention (Template C), on a case by case basis, as to whether or not any medication will be carried by the child, will be self-administered by the child or any medical intervention will be self-administered by the child, following consultation with staff, if appropriate.
Any member of staff may be asked to provide support for a child with a medical condition, including the administration of medicine(s) and medical intervention(s).
School staff will receive sufficient and suitable training and achieve competency before they take on responsibility for supporting children with medical conditions.
Where children have an IHCP, the roles and responsibilities of staff will be clearly recorded and agreed.
Provide the school with sufficient and up to date information about their child’s medical needs and to update it at the start of each school year or, if needs change, by completion of a ‘Parent/Carer Information about a Child’s Medical Condition’ form (Template A).
Complete, if appropriate, a ‘Parent/Carer Request and Agreement for School to Administer Medicines / Medical interventions’ form (Template B) to gain consent for medicines / medical interventions to be administered at school.
Complete, if appropriate, a ‘Parent/Carer Request for the Child’s Self–administration of Medication/Medical Intervention’ form (Template C) to gain consent for medicines / medical interventions to be administered by the child.
Provide up-to-date contact information so that parents/carers or other nominated adults are contactable at all times.
Carry out any action they have agreed to as part of the implementation of an IHCP.
Provide any medication in its original packaging, with the pharmacy label stating the following:
Child’s name
Child’s date of birth
Name of medicine
Frequency / time medication administered
Dosage and method of administration
Special storage arrangements
Ensure medicines or resources associated with delivery of a medical intervention have not past the expiry date.
Collect and dispose of any medicines held in the academy at the end of each term, or as agreed.
Provide any equipment required to carry out a medical intervention e.g. catheter tubes.
Collect and dispose of any equipment used to carry out a medical intervention e.g. sharps box.
Pupil Information - Parents/carers are required to give the following information about their child’s medical condition and to update it at the start of each school year, or sooner if needs change, by completion of ‘Parent/Carer Information about a Child’s Medical Condition’ form (see Template A):
Details of pupil’s medical conditions and associated support needed at school
Medicine(s), including any side effects
Medical intervention(s)
Name of GP / Hospital and Community Consultants/Other Healthcare Professionals
Special requirements e.g. dietary needs
Who to contact in an emergency
Cultural and religious views regarding medical care

Managing medicines / medical interventions at the academy

Administration of Medicines / Medical Interventions

Medicine / medical interventions will only be administered at school when it would be detrimental to a pupil’s health or attendance not to do so.
It is expected that parents/carers will normally administer medication / medical interventions to their children during their time at home, where at all possible.
No medication / medical intervention will be administered without prior written permission from the parents/carers. ‘Parent/Carer Request and Agreement for School to Administer Medicines / Medical Interventions’ (Template B).
The Principal has the final say to decide whether and by whom any medication or medical intervention will be administered in school, following receipt of the above form and after consultation with staff.
No changes to administration method or dosage of medication or changes in procedures relating to medical interventions will be carried out without written authority from parents/carers and recorded amendment to the ‘Parent/Carer Request and Agreement for School to Administer Medicines / Medical interventions’ form (Template B).
The Principal has the final say to decide whether a child is able to carry and self-administer any medication or self-administer any medical intervention, following consultation with staff as appropriate ‘Parent/Carer Request for the Child’s Self–Administration of Medication/Medical Intervention’ (Template C);
All medicines / medical interventions will normally be administered during school breaks and/or lunchtime.
If, for medical reasons, medicine has to be taken at other times during the day or a medical intervention delivered at a different time, arrangements will be made for the medicine / medical intervention to be administered at other prescribed times.
Pupils will be told where their medication / medical intervention equipment and resources are kept and who will administer them.
Any member of staff, on each occasion, giving medicine / medical intervention to a pupil should check:

Name of pupil
Written instructions provided by the parents/carers or healthcare professional or as agreed in an IHCP
Prescribed dose, if appropriate
Expiry date, if appropriate
Any member of staff, on each occasion, will make a written record of medication / medical interventions administered on the ‘Record of Administration of Medicines/Medical Intervention to an Individual Child’ (Template C).

No child under 16 will be given medicine containing aspirin unless prescribed by a doctor.

Child’s Role in managing their own Medical Needs:

After discussion with parents/carers, children who are competent will be encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own medicines and medical interventions.
Written permission from the parents/carers will be required for pupils to self-administer medicine(s) / medical intervention(s). The school’s ‘Parent/Carer Request for the Child’s self–administration of Medication/Medical Intervention (Template C) must be completed by parents/carers.
Written permission from the parents/carers will be required for pupils to carry medicine(s) or resources associated with a medical intervention(s). The school’s ‘Parent/Carer Request for the Child’s self–administration of Medication/Medical Intervention (Template C) must be completed by parents/carers.
Children who can take medicines or manage medical interventions independently may still require a level of adult support e.g. in the event of an emergency. In this situation agreed procedures will be documented in an IHCP.

Refusing Medication / Medical Intervention:

If a child refuses to take their medication / medical intervention, staff will not force them to do so. Refusal to take medication will be recorded and dated on the child’s record sheet. Reasons for refusal to take medications / medical intervention must also be recorded as well as the action then taken by the member of staff and parents/carers informed.
Parents/Carers will be required to bring and oversee the taking of medication where not doing so would put the child or others at risk.
Parents/carers will be informed as soon as possible. Where the child is potentially placing themselves at risk by refusal, parents/carers will be informed immediately.

Storage of Medicines / Medical Intervention Equipment and Resources:

All children will know where their medicines / medical intervention equipment/resources are at all times and will be readily available as required. All prescribed medicines must be taken to the school office where they will be stored and administered.

Controlled drugs

A child who is prescribed a controlled drug may legally have it in their possession if they are competent to do so but passing it to another child for use is an offence.
Where controlled drugs are not an individual child’s responsibility, they will be kept in a non-portable locked cabinet in a secure environment e.g. admin office, medical room. Only named staff will have access.
Controlled drugs will be easily accessible in an emergency as agreed with parents/carers or described in the child’s IHCP.
Where controlled drugs are not an individual child’s responsibility, records will be kept of any doses used and the amount kept on the premises.

Non-controlled drugs and medical resources:

All medicines and medical equipment / resources will be stored safely as agreed with parents/carers or described in the child’s IHCP.

Records

The academy will keep a record of all medicines / medical interventions administered to individual children on each occasion, including the following:
Name of pupil
Date and time of administration
Who supervised the administration
Name of medication
Dosage
A note of any side effects / reactions observed
If authority to change protocol has been received and agreed.
Record of Administration to an Individual Child (Template D) and Record of Medicine Administered to All Children (Template E).

Training

Staff must not give prescription medicines or undertake healthcare procedures without appropriate training. A First Aid Certificate does NOT constitute appropriate training in supporting children with medical conditions. Staff must not give advice or a medical view on a child’s health or a member of staff.
All staff will be made aware of the School’s Policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions and their role in implementing that policy through for example whole school awareness training, involvement in development of IHCPs, staff briefing sessions etc.
Specialist training and advice will be provided by appropriate healthcare professionals, e.g. specialist epilepsy nurse, asthma training by school nurse etc, for staff involved in supporting pupils with medical conditions including the administration of relevant medicines / medical interventions.
Training for all staff will be provided on a range of medical needs, including any resultant learning needs, as and when appropriate.
Supporting a child with a medical condition during school hours is not the sole responsibility of one person.
Training will ensure that sufficient numbers of 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. Induction training will raise awareness of the School’s Policy and practice on supporting pupils with medical condition(s).
Training will be sufficient to ensure staff are competent and have confidence in their ability. The School will make every effort to ensure that specialist training will be completed as quickly as possible to ensure that the child is able to attend school safely.
A record of staff training carried out will be kept, identifying the date review or refresher training will be required where appropriate. ‘Record of Staff Training’ (Template F)

Individual Health Care Plans (IHCP)

Where appropriate, an IHCP will be drawn up in consultation with the school, parents/carers, health professionals and any other relevant professionals.

The content of an individual child’s IHCP will be dependent on the complexity of their needs and may include the following:

An overview (Pen Portrait / One Page Profile) of the child’s needs and provision in place in school to manage those needs.
A description of the medical condition, its presentation (signs, symptoms, triggers etc) and impact on access to the school environment and learning opportunities.
Arrangements around administration of medication(s) / medical intervention(s).
Arrangements around management of medical emergency situations.
Arrangements around management and support for personal care needs, including intimate and invasive care e.g. catheterisation, toileting support, gastro-tube feeding etc.
Risk assessment for access to the school environment and curriculum.
Arrangements for evacuation in the event of an emergency.
The level of support required in school, who will provide this support, their training needs and cover arrangements for when they are unavailable.
How, if agreed, the child is taking responsibility for their own health needs.
A reference to staff confidentiality.
Appendix 2 is a Flow Chart to guide through deciding which elements of the IHCP are relevant to an individual child.
Individual Health Care Plans will be reviewed annually or sooner if needs change

Off-site and extended school activities

Pupils with medical conditions will be actively supported in accessing all activities on offer including school trips, sporting activities, clubs and residential / holidays.
Preparation and forward planning for all off-site and extended school activities will take place in good time to ensure that arrangements can be put in place to support a child with a medical condition to participate fully.
The academy will consider what reasonable adjustments need to be put in place to enable children with medical conditions to participate safely and fully.
The academy will carry out a thorough risk assessment to ensure the safety of all pupils and staff. In the case of pupils with medical needs the risk assessment process will involve consultation with child, parents/carers and relevant healthcare professionals to ensure the pupil can participate safely. Please refer to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance on School Trips. This will be signed off by a member of SLT.
In some circumstances evidence from a clinician, such as a hospital consultant, may state that participation in some aspects offered is not possible. Where this happens the academy will make alternative arrangements for the child.
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that an IHCP can be implemented fully and safely when out of school. Risk assessment will identify how IHCPs will be implemented effectively off-site and where additional supervision or resources are required.
The allergens policy should be read in conjunction with this.

Managing emergencies and emergency procedures

The Site Manager will ensure that all staff are aware of the school’s general risk management processes and planned emergency procedures.
Where a child has an IHCP this will clearly define what constitutes an emergency and describes what to do. This may include:

An Emergency Medical Protocol that details the actions to be taken by staff and supported by specialist training where relevant e.g. seizure management and administration of rescue medication.
A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) that details the actions to be taken by staff to support the child’s evacuation from the building, supported by specialist training where relevant e.g. use of an Evac chair; the PEEP should also detail the actions to be taken by staff to support how staff will manage the child’s medical needs during the evacuation e.g. ensuring appropriate medication is taken outside and is available whilst at the assembly point.

School has a procedure for contacting emergency services (Template G) which is displayed in the appropriate places e.g. office, staff room etc and is in the staff operational handbook.

Defibrillator

The school will ensure that some staff members who are appointed as first aiders are trained in the use of the defibrillator and CPR.
Students who volunteer and have written consent from their parents/carers will also be trained in the use of CPR

Confidentiality and sharing of information within school

The academy is aware of the need to manage confidential information sensitively and respectfully, maintaining the dignity of the child and family at all times, in line with GDPR regulations.
The academy will disseminate information to key members of staff involved in the child’s care on a needs-to-know basis, as agreed with parents/carers.
Where the child has an IHCP this will be shared with key staff with regular, scheduled re-briefings, organised by the SENDCo.
The academy will ensure that arrangements are in place to inform new members of staff of the child’s medical needs.
The academy will ensure that arrangements are in place to transfer information on a child’s medical needs to staff during any transition.

Liability and indemnity

The academy insurance policies provide liability cover relating to the administration of medicines.
In the case of medical interventions, individual cover may be arranged for any specific healthcare procedures, including information about appropriate staff training and other defined requirements of the insurance policy.
The expectation is that only appropriately trained and insured staff will be involved in supporting medical interventions.

Complaints procedure

In the first instance parents/carers dissatisfied with the support provided for their child’s medical condition should discuss their concerns directly with the SENDCo.
If, for whatever reason, this does not resolve the issue then the complaints procedure can be followed.

Unacceptable practice

The academy works to prevent the following:

Requiring parent/carers or otherwise making them feel obliged to attend school to administer medicines / medical interventions or provide medical support to their child, including around toileting issues – no parent/carer should have to give up working because the school is failing to support their child’s medical needs.
Preventing children from participating, or creating unnecessary barriers to children participating in any aspect of academy life, including trips, e.g. by requiring parents/carers to accompany the child.
Preventing children from easily accessing and administering their medicines as and where necessary.
Assuming every child with the same condition requires the same treatment.
Ignoring the views of the child and/or their parents/carers (although this may be challenged).
Ignoring medical evidence or opinion (although this may be challenged).
Sending children with medical conditions home frequently.
Preventing children with medical conditions from staying at the academy for normal school activities, including lunch, unless this is specified in their IHCP.
If the child becomes ill, sending them to the school office or medical room unaccompanied or with someone unsuitable.
Penalising children for their attendance record if their absences are related to their medical condition e.g. hospital appointments.
Preventing children from eating, drinking or taking toilet / other breaks whenever they need to in order to manage their medical condition effectively.

Appendix 3 (Record of medication administered to a pupil)

Name of school/setting

Date Child’s name Time Name of Dose given Any reactions Signature Print name

medicine of staff

Appendix 4

Contacting the Emergency Services

N.B. If you are dialling 999 or a mobile number from an internal school phone you must first dial 9 to get an outside line.

Request for an ambulance

Dial 999 or 112(from a mobile) and ask for an ambulance. You will be asked which service you require – police, fire or ambulance. Be ready with the following information.

Your telephone number

School: 0161 681 1592

Give your location as follows

Co-op Academy North Manchester

300 Victoria Avenue East

Blackley

Manchester

M9 7SS

Give exact location in the school/setting

Make sure you state on the phone that the main entrance is situated just off Victoria Avenue East and not off Hinchley Road.

Make sure the receptionist knows where you are within the academy.

Give your name

Give the name of the pupil and a brief description of their symptoms

Inform ambulance crew of the best entrance and state again that the crew will be met and taken to the correct location

(See above)

Speak clearly and slowly and be ready to repeat information if asked.

Once the ambulance has been contacted then contact reception and we contact the parents of the pupil.

IF AN AMBULANCE IS CALLED THE PRINCIPAL AND VICE PRINCIPAL MUST BE INFORMED.

If an ambulance is called during the lunch break / breaktime, then avoid taking the ambulance straight through the play area, unless you have to, in order to avoid attention being drawn to the situation.