Supporting pupils with diagnosed medical conditions

Policy details

• Date created - 01/07/2024
• Date approved - 13/06/2024
• Next review date - 01/09/2025
• Policy owner - Shirley Carrigan and Paul Atkins

Aims

This policy aims to ensure that:

• Pupils, staff and parents understand how our school will support pupils with medical conditions
• Pupils with medical conditions are properly supported to allow them to access the same education as other pupils, including school trips and sporting activities

The governing body will implement this policy by:

• Making sure sufficient staff are suitably trained
• Making staff aware of pupils’ conditions, where appropriate
• Making sure there are cover arrangements to ensure someone is always available to support pupils with medical conditions
• Providing supply teachers with appropriate information about the policy and relevant pupils
• Developing and monitoring individual healthcare plans (IHPs)

The named person with responsibility for implementing this policy is Miss D Cacia.

This policy meets the requirements under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which places a duty on the governing body to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions.

It is also based on the Department for Education’s statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school.

3. Roles and responsibilities

3.1 The governing body

The governing board has ultimate responsibility to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. The governing body will ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they are responsible for supporting children with medical conditions.

3.2 The Headteacher

The Headteacher will:        

• Make sure all staff are aware of this policy and understand their role in its implementation
• Ensure that there is a sufficient number of trained staff available to implement this policy and deliver against all individual healthcare plans (IHPs), including in contingency and emergency situations
• Ensure that all staff who need to know are aware of a child’s condition
• Take overall responsibility for the development of IHPs
• Make sure that school staff are appropriately insured and aware that they are insured to support pupils in this way
• Ensure school staff liaise with the school nursing service in the case of any pupil who has a medical condition that may require support at school, but who has not yet been brought to the attention of the school nurse
• Ensure that systems are in place for obtaining information about a child’s medical needs and that this information is kept up to date

3.3 Staff

Supporting pupils with medical conditions during school hours is not the sole responsibility of one person. Any member of staff may be asked to provide support to pupils with medical conditions, although they will not be required to do so. This includes the administration of medicines.

Those staff who take on the responsibility to support pupils with medical conditions will receive sufficient and suitable training, and will achieve the necessary level of competency before doing so.

Teachers will take into account the needs of pupils with medical conditions that they teach. All staff will know what to do and respond accordingly when they become aware that a pupil with a medical condition needs help.

3.4 Parents

Parents will:

• Provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about their child’s medical needs
• Be involved in the development and review of their child’s IHP and may be involved in its drafting
• Carry out any action they have agreed to as part of the implementation of the IHP, e.g. provide medicines and equipment, and ensure they or another nominated adult are contactable at all times.
• Ensure medications are replaced in school when close to expiry date.

3.5 Pupils

Pupils with medical conditions will often be best placed to provide information about how their condition affects them. Pupils should be fully involved in discussions about their medical support needs and contribute as much as possible to the development of their IHPs. They are also expected to comply with their IHPs.  

3.6 School nurses and other healthcare professionals

The school nursing service will notify the school when a pupil has been identified as having a medical condition that will require support in school. This will be before the pupil starts school, wherever possible. They may also support staff to implement a child’s IHP.

Healthcare professionals, such as GPs and paediatricians, will liaise with the school’s nurses and notify them of any pupils identified as having a medical condition. They may also provide advice on developing IHPs.

4. Equal opportunities

Co-op Academy Grove is clear about the need to actively support pupils with medical conditions to participate in school trips and visits, or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so.

The school will consider what reasonable adjustments need to be made to enable these pupils to participate fully and safely on school trips, visits and sporting activities.

Risk assessments will be carried out so that planning arrangements take account of any steps needed to ensure that pupils with medical conditions are included. In doing so, pupils, their parents and any relevant healthcare professionals will be consulted.

5. Being notified that a child has a medical condition

When the school is notified that a pupil has a medical condition, the process outlined below will be followed to decide whether the pupil requires an IHP.  

The school will make every effort to ensure that arrangements are put into place within 2 weeks, or by the beginning of the relevant term for pupils who are new to our school.

See Appendix 1.

6. Individual healthcare plans

The Headteacher has overall responsibility for the development of IHPs for pupils with medical conditions. This has been delegated to Miss D Cacia and Mrs N Wilkes. The IHP will be split into three categories; Asthma IHPs (see appendix 2), Short term IHPs and long term IHP (see appendix 3). The category needed for each child will depend specifically on their personal medical need.

Broken bones/temporary IHPs

If a child has broken a bone or has a temporary medical condition then an IHP will be completed and will support them during the duration of that medical condition.

Plans will be reviewed at least annually, or earlier if there is evidence that the pupil’s needs have changed.

Plans will be developed with the pupil’s best interests in mind and will set out:

• What needs to be done
• When
• By whom

Not all pupils with a medical condition will require an IHP. It will be agreed with a healthcare professional and the parents when an IHP would be inappropriate or disproportionate. This will be based on evidence. If there is no consensus, the Headteacher will make the final decision.

Plans will be drawn up in partnership with the school, parents and a relevant healthcare professional, such as the school nurse, specialist or paediatrician, who can best advise on the pupil’s specific needs. The pupil will be involved wherever appropriate.

IHPs will be linked to, or become part of, any education, health and care (EHC) plan. If a pupil has SEN but does not have an EHC plan, the SEN will be mentioned in the IHP.

The level of detail in the plan will depend on the complexity of the child’s condition and how much support is needed. The governing body and the Headteacher/role of individual with responsibility for developing IHPs, will consider the following when deciding what information to record on IHPs:

• The medical condition, its triggers, signs, symptoms and treatments
• The pupil’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 and environmental issues, e.g. crowded corridors, travel time between lessons
• Specific support for the pupil’s educational, social and emotional needs. For example, how absences will be managed, requirements for extra time to complete exams, use of rest periods or additional support in catching up with lessons, counselling sessions
• The level of support needed, including in emergencies. If a pupil is self-managing their medication, this will be clearly stated with appropriate arrangements for monitoring
• Who will provide this support, their training needs, expectations of their role and confirmation of proficiency to provide support for the pupil’s medical condition from a healthcare professional, and cover arrangements for when they are unavailable
• Who in the school needs to be aware of the pupil’s condition and the support required
• Arrangements for written permission from parents and the Headteacher for medication to be administered by a member of staff, or self-administered by the pupil during school hours
• Separate arrangements or procedures required for school trips or other school activities outside of the normal school timetable that will ensure the pupil can participate, e.g. risk assessments
• Where confidentiality issues are raised by the parent/pupil, the designated individuals to be entrusted with information about the pupil’s condition
• What to do in an emergency, including who to contact, and contingency arrangements

Risk assessments

Where an individual risk assessment is deemed necessary for a medical need, e.g. when a child will be attending an off-site trip or where their medical condition is unstable, a standard risk assessment format will be used by all staff.  

7. Managing medicines

Prescription medicines will only be administered at school:

• When it would be detrimental to the pupil’s health or school attendance not to do so and
• Where we have parents’ written consent (see appendix 3 – short term/long term care plan)

All medicines must be signed in and out via the school office (Appendix 4) and a written record must be kept following administration of medicines to pupils, using the medication record form (see Appendix 5). This must be countersigned by the staff member witnessing the administering of medication.    

Anyone giving a pupil any medication (for example, for pain relief) will first check maximum dosages and when the previous dosage was taken. Parents will always be informed.  

The school will only accept prescribed medicines that are:

• In-date
• Labelled
• Provided in the original container, as dispensed by the pharmacist, and include instructions for administration, dosage and storage

PRESCRIBED MEDICINES – in normal circumstances it is assumed parents/ carers will administer the majority of medicine doses in the home.  If medicine is needed to be taken DURING the school day then;

• Medications prescribed ‘four times a day’ will be administered and witnessed by academy staff following the completion of a short term Individual Health Care Plan.  
• Prescribed medicines should only be brought into the academies when essential; that is, where it would be detrimental to a child’s health if the medicine were not administered during the academy day.  
• Medicines prescribed ‘three times a day’ should be administered ‘‘before the start of the day, at the end of the day and at night’’.)   In extreme cases, this can be discussed with the Academy Principal.  However, parents and carers are all permitted to attend the academy to administer medication if they so desire.  
• BASC staff may need to administer medicine in certain cases, there will be a comprehensive plan for this. Our academy will only accept medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber or pharmacist prescriber and are presented in the original container dispensed by a pharmacist and include the pupil’s name, prescriber’s instructions for administration and dosage. It is not usual policy to administer prescribed Calpol unless for the purpose of a long term medical need.  

NON-PRESCRIBED MEDICINES  

Non-prescribed medicines will only be administered with prior written permission from parents in extreme circumstances such as residential trips or day trips, e.g. travel sickness medication.    

• Staff will check the medicine has previously been administered without adverse effect and a short term Individual Healthcare Plan (see Appendix 3) must be completed.  

ADMINISTERING MEDICINES  

This trust recognises that no child under 16 should be given medicines without their parent’s written consent.    

• Following written consent using an Individual Healthcare plan, any member of staff administering medicines to a pupil should check:  

• The child’s name  
• Name of medication  
• The prescribed dose  
• Expiry date  
• Written instructions provided by the prescriber on the label or container
• That administering of medicine is witnessed  

• If in doubt about any procedure, staff will check with parents or a health professional before taking further action.  
• A written record must be kept following administration of medicines to pupils, using the medication record form (see Appendix 5). This must be countersigned by the staff member witnessing the administering of medication.    
• If a child refuses to take a medicine, staff will not force them to do so, but will record this and parents/carers will be notified of the refusal.  
• If due to reasons beyond the Academy’s control medication is not administered at the agreed time, it will be administered as soon as possible.

The school will accept insulin that is inside an insulin pen or pump rather than its original container, but it must be in date.

All medicines will be stored safely. Pupils will be informed about where their medicines are at all times and be able to access them immediately. Medicines and devices such as asthma inhalers, blood glucose testing meters and adrenaline pens will always be readily available to pupils and not locked away.

Medicines will be returned to parents to arrange for safe disposal when no longer required or out-dated.

7.1 Controlled drugs

Controlled drugs are prescription medicines that are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and subsequent amendments, such as morphine or methadone.

If a controlled drug is prescribed, this will be discussed on a case by case basis and considered as a special arrangement. Wherever possible, the medication will be held by the class teacher but MUST be readily available when needed, e.g. PE lessons, fire drill, lunchtimes.   All other controlled drugs are kept in a secure cupboard in the school office and only named staff have access.

Controlled drugs will be easily accessible in an emergency and a record of any doses used and the amount held will be kept.

7.2 Pupils managing their own needs

Pupils who are competent will be encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own medicines and procedures. This will be discussed with parents and it will be reflected in their IHPs.

Pupils will be allowed to carry their own medicines and relevant devices wherever possible. Staff will not force a pupil to take a medicine or carry out a necessary procedure if they refuse, but will follow the procedure agreed in the IHP and inform parents so that an alternative option can be considered, if necessary.

7.3 Unacceptable practice

School staff should use their discretion and judge each case individually with reference to the pupil’s IHP, but it is generally not acceptable to:

• Prevent pupils from easily accessing their inhalers and medication, and administering their medication when and where necessary
• Assume that every pupil with the same condition requires the same treatment
• Ignore the views of the pupil or their parents
• Ignore medical evidence or opinion (although this may be challenged)
• Send children with medical conditions home frequently for reasons associated with their medical condition or prevent them from staying for normal school activities, including lunch, unless this is specified in their IHPs
• If the pupil becomes ill, send them to the school office or medical room unaccompanied or with someone unsuitable
• Penalise pupils for their attendance record if their absences are related to their medical condition, e.g. hospital appointments
• Prevent pupils from drinking, eating or taking toilet or other breaks whenever they need to in order to manage their medical condition effectively
• Require parents, or otherwise make them feel obliged, to attend school to administer medication or provide medical support to their pupil, including with toileting issues. No parent should have to give up working because the school is failing to support their child’s medical needs
• Prevent pupils from participating, or create unnecessary barriers to pupils participating in any aspect of school life, including school trips, e.g. by requiring parents to accompany their child
• Administer, or ask pupils to administer, medicine in school toilets

8. Emergency procedures

Staff will follow the school’s normal emergency procedures (for example, calling 999). All pupils’ IHPs will clearly set out what constitutes an emergency and will explain what to do.

If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, staff will stay with the pupil until the parent arrives, or accompany the pupil to hospital by ambulance.

9. Training

Staff who are responsible for supporting pupils with medical needs will receive suitable and sufficient training to do so.

The training will be identified during the development or review of IHPs. Staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions will be included in meetings where this is discussed.

The relevant healthcare professionals will lead on identifying the type and level of training required and will agree this with the Headteacher/role of individual. Training will be kept up to date.

Training will:

• Be sufficient to ensure that staff are competent and have confidence in their ability to support the pupils
• Fulfil the requirements in the IHPs
• Help staff to have an understanding of the specific medical conditions they are being asked to deal with, their implications and preventative measures
• Healthcare professionals will provide confirmation of the proficiency of staff in a medical procedure, or in providing medication.

All staff will receive training so that they are aware of this policy and understand their role in implementing it, for example, with preventative and emergency measures so they can recognise and act quickly when a problem occurs. This will be provided for new staff during their induction.

10. Record keeping

Parents should tell the academy about the medicines their child needs to take and provide details of any changes to the prescription or the support required. Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions.  

• Medication should be signed into the academy by academy staff via the school office and signed out by parents on the collection of their child using the Weekly Medication Checklist (Appendix 4)  
• Individual Healthcare Plans MUST BE SIGNED by academy staff and parents on completion.    
• Completed forms should be uploaded to CPOMs and kept in the class medical folder and referred to when administering medication.  
• Requests for updated medical conditions including asthma, are distributed to parents at the beginning of each academic year. These are collated by the Medical Lead and registered and recorded in each class medical folder and in whole school medical records. All staff have access to this information and actions to take in an emergency.  
• Children with food allergies have their photographs and details displayed in the kitchen to be seen by all catering staff to ensure that food products are safe for children. These are also displayed in the staffroom.  
• Serious head and other injuries are recorded using the Local Authority Accident Report Form, the incident logged on CPOMs and Sites Manager made aware.  Duplicate book form also to be completed.

The governing body will ensure that written records are kept of all medicine administered to pupils for as long as these pupils are at the school. Parents will be informed if their pupil has been unwell at school.

11. Liability and indemnity

The governing board will ensure that the appropriate level of insurance is in place and appropriately reflects the school’s level of risk.  

We will ensure that we are a member of the Department for Education’s risk protection arrangement (RPA).

12. Complaints

Parents with a complaint about their child’s medical condition should discuss these directly with Miss D Cacia in the first instance. If Miss D Cacia cannot resolve the matter, they will direct parents to the school’s complaints procedure.

13. Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed and approved by the governing body annually.

14. Links to other policies

This policy links to the following policies:

• Accessibility plan
• Complaints
• Equality information and objectives
• First aid
• Health and safety
• Safeguarding
• Special educational needs information report and policy

Appendix 1: Being notified a child has a medical condition

Appendix 2: Asthma IHP Example

ASTHMA CARE PLAN  

This care plan needs to be reviewed once a year or sooner if there are any

changes. Medicines and spacers should be clearly labelled with your child’s name and kept in agreement with school policy.

Emergency reliever inhaler 

If the school holds an emergency inhaler and spacer, I give permission for my child to use this should their own inhaler not be available. 

Appendix 3: Individual Health Plan (IHP)

Individual LONG*/ SHORT* Term Healthcare Plan (*DELETE ONE) 

Parent signature__________________________________              Date: ____________________

Academy signature _________________________________               Date: ____________________

Office signature (sign when on Arbor) __________________________________ Date:__________

APPENDIX 4

     Weekly Medication Checklist   

One per Child                                                                                  

Childs Name ……………………………………………………………………………….  

Week Commencing……………………………………………………………………  

Medication signed In/Out  

Please record any medication brought into the academy in the table below.  

APPENDIX 5

  Daily record of Medication Administered   

Please record when medication is administered in the table

below.  

Child’s name: ______________________________________________________

APPENDIX 6 – INHALER USAGE RECORD SHEET  

Child’s name__________________________________  

APPENDIX 9 – PARENTAL LETTER  

Date……………………………….   

Dear parent/guardian of: ………………………………   

Your child has had problems with his/her breathing today which has required the use of their own inhaler/academies’ emergency inhaler. (delete as appropriate)   

Since this may indicate your child’s asthma is not well controlled at this time you are strongly advised to see your own doctor or practice nurse as soon as possible. If your child needs to use their reliever medication 3 times a week or more, seek a medical

review.      

Yours sincerely   

If your child needed to use the school emergency inhaler would you please ensure they have their own labelled inhaler and spacer in the academy.  

If your child is needing to use their reliever inhaler more than 4 hourly please seek an urgent medical review.  

APPENDIX 10 – EMERGENCY INHALER USAGE LOG  

Academy Emergency Inhaler Usage Log   

APPENDIX 11  -PERSONAL AAI USAGE RECORD SHEET

Adrenaline auto-injector device record  

Child’s name__________________________________  

APPENDIX 12 - EMERGENCY AAI DEVICE CONSENT   

Use of emergency adrenaline auto-injector device at Co-op Academy Grove

   Child showing symptoms of anaphylaxis    

• I can confirm that my child has been diagnosed with anaphylaxis and has been prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) device.  
• My child has a working, in-date AAI device, clearly labelled with their name, which will be kept in the academy.
• In the event of my child displaying symptoms of anaphylaxis, and if their AAI device is not available or is unusable, I consent for my child to receive the academy adrenaline autoinjector (AAI) device held by the academy for such emergencies.   

Child’s name: ………………………………………………………………………….…………….   

Class: ……………….………………………………………………………………..………………   

Parent/Carer with parental responsibility   

Name (PRINT):  ……………………..………………………………………………….……………   

Signed:  ………………….………………………………………….  Date: ………………..………  

Parent’s address:  .………………………..………………………………………………………..   

……………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..   

Contact Telephone number:  ………………………………………………………………………..   

APPENDIX 13 – EMERGENCY AAI USAGE LOG  

Academy emergency adrenaline auto-injector device usage log