Medical Needs Policy

Lansbury Lawrence
Primary School
Medical Needs Policy
Reviewed February 2016
Due to be reviewed – February 2018
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Medical Needs Policy
Overview
Lansbury Lawrence is an inclusive community that supports and welcomes
pupils with medical conditions
 Lansbury Lawrence is welcoming and supportive of pupils with medical
conditions. It provides children with medical conditions with the same
opportunities and access to activities (both school based and out-of-school)
as other pupils
 Pupils and parents will have their views heard and can feel confident in the
care they receive whilst at school
 Staff understand the medical conditions of pupils at school and that they may
be serious, adversely affect a child’s quality of life and impact on their ability
to learn
 All staff understand their duty of care to children and young people and know
what to do in the event of an emergency
 The school understands that pupils with the same medical condition may not
have the same needs
 The school actively promotes and encourages pupils to undertake their own
awareness of and self-care where it is deemed appropriate
 Pupils have access to their medication at all times
Notifying the school of a medical condition

Notification of a medical condition may come from parents or carers or other
healthcare professionals such as GPs, community nurses or paediatricians

Parents should provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about
their child’s medical needs. A letter will be sent to parents and carers annually
requesting an update on medical conditions, however, the school can be alerted to a
medical condition at any time

Parents should let the school know immediately if their child’s needs change

Where pupils have allergies, parents or carers should provide confirmation of what
they are allergic to from a GP or other medical professional

The school office is the first point of contact for parents or carers when informing
the school of their child’s medical condition. Should they inform another member of
staff they will always be re-directed to the school office

The school office will ask parents or carers to complete paperwork outlining
information on the medical condition and giving consent to administer medication in
school if appropriate
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
Paperwork will then be forwarded onto the Senco who will follow-up on any actions
as necessary

When a pupil no longer has a medical condition the parents and carers need to
inform the school office and complete paperwork to indicate this. This information
will then be passed on to all concerned
Individual Health Care Plans

The school uses an Individual Health Care Plan to record the support an individual
pupil needs around their medical condition. The Individual Health Care Plan is drawn
up with the pupil (where appropriate), parent, school nurse, school staff and any
other relevant healthcare services

Individual Health Care Plans may vary in content, but should contain information
about the medical condition, what needs to be done, when and by whom

Not all pupils with a medical condition will have an Individual Health Care Plan. The
final decision on whether or not to put an Individual Health Care Plan together is
made by the Head teacher in agreement with the Senco, school nurse and parents or
carers

The school has a centralised register of Individual Health Care Plans and the Senco
takes responsibility for this register

Individual Health Care Plans (including asthma cards) are reviewed every year or
whenever the pupil’s needs change

The pupil (where appropriate), parents or carers, school nurse and relevant
healthcare services hold a copy of the Individual Health Care Plan

The school make sure that pupil’s confidentiality is protected. Individual Health Care
Plans are not displayed in public places such as the staff room or on classroom walls

School staff are made aware of and have access to Individual Health Care Plans for
pupils in their care. Individual Health Care Plans are stored in classrooms and filed
centrally

Supply teachers and other peripatetic teaching staff are shown a class profile of
pupils’ medical information on a need to know basis. Midday Meals Supervisors are
also given a class profile to refer to centrally

Pupils with allergies have information displayed in the school kitchen for serving staff
to refer to. Pupils in key stage 1 also wear tags in the dining hall to alert adults to
their allergy

Permission is sought from parents before sharing any medical information with any
other party
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Medication in School

The school understand the importance of medication being taken and care received
as detailed in the pupil’s Individual Health Care Plan

The school will make sure that there are sufficient members of staff who have been
trained to administer the medication and meet the care needs of an individual child

Medication that is given in school needs to be prescribed by the GP. The prescription
label needs to be seen by school staff, indicating the child’s name and required
dosage. The Head teacher needs to give consent for any medication that is
administered in school

In exceptional circumstances non-prescription medication may be administered (for
example, if it is recommended by the GP or included on the Individual Health Care
Plan). Consent for this needs to be given by the Head teacher. Non-prescription
medication (e.g. travel sickness pills) may also be administered on school journey, in
agreement with parents or carers

The school will not give any medication (prescription or non-prescription) to any
pupil without a parent’s written or verbal consent, except in exceptional
circumstances
When administering medication, staff will always check the maximum dosage and
when the previous dose was given

Storage of medication and equipment

The school will make sure that all medication is stored safely and that pupils with
medical conditions know where they are at all times and have access to them
immediately. Medication will be stored in classrooms with the exception of allergy
medication, which is stored in the school office

The school will store medication that is in date and labelled in its original container
where possible, in accordance with instructions. The exception to this is insulin,
which though must still be in date, will generally be supplied in an insulin injector
pen or pump

Medication will audited termly by office staff to check expiry dates, and parents or
carers will be expected to provide the school with new and in-date medication when
necessary

The school will dispose of needles and other sharps in sharps boxes which will be
collected and disposed of in line with local authority procedures. Parents or carers
will be asked to dispose of other medication themselves
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
Pupils will always be supervised when taking medication in school

The school will keep an accurate record of all medication administered, including the
dose, time, date and supervising staff

All staff will understand what constitutes an emergency for an individual child and
make sure that emergency medication/equipment is readily available wherever the
pupil is in school and on off-site activities.

Pupils may carry their own emergency medication with them if they wish/if it is
appropriate

Pupils can carry controlled drugs if they are competent and should wish to do so, in
agreement with parents or carers. Otherwise the school will keep controlled drugs
stored securely, but accessibly, with only named staff having access
Training

The school will ensure that all staff providing support to a pupil have received
suitable training and on going support so that they can fulfil the requirements set
out in the pupil’s Individual Health Care Plan

Training will be provided either by the school nurse or another suitably qualified
healthcare professional. In some cases the parent or carer may also advice

The school will keep an up-to-date record of all training undertaken and by whom.
Staff training needs will be reviewed annually

In some cases, staff may administer medication by following instructions on the
medication container provided by the chemist or by following written instructions
from the parent or carer, without requiring further training

The school nurse or other healthcare professional can provide confirmation of the
proficiency of staff in a medical procedure, or in providing medication

Preventative and emergency training for all staff will be put in place around medical
conditions that affect a number of pupils e.g. asthma, epi pen training

Whole school awareness training around the Medical Policy will be carried out and
updated as necessary; new members of staff will receive an induction around the
medical policy
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Emergency situations

All school staff are aware of the medical conditions of pupils in their care and
understand their duty of care to pupils in an emergency

Where a child has an Individual Health Care Plan, emergency situations will be
defined and a plan of action identified. The Individual Health Care Plan will
accompany the pupil should they need to attend hospital

If a pupil needs to attend hospital, a member of staff (preferably known to the pupil)
will stay with them until a parent arrives, or accompany a child taken to hospital by
ambulance
Inclusivity – trips, attendance and transition

When a child starts school and requires an Individual Health Care Plan to be put in
place, the school may delay the start date of the child until this has been done, if it is
in the best interests of the child

Children will be admitted to the school regardless of their medical requirement
unless it would be detrimental to the health of other pupils to do so e.g. an
infectious disease. Professional advice would be sought in this situation

Staff understand that frequent absences or particular symptoms may be due to a
pupil’s medical condition. Pupils will not be penalised for their attendance if their
absences relate to their medical condition

Risk assessments are carried out on all out of school activities, taking into account
the needs of pupils with medical needs and to ensure their involvement in
structured and unstructured activities

Staff will be made aware of pupils who have been advised to avoid or take special
precautions during activity and the potential triggers for a pupil’s medical condition
when exercising and how to minimise these

Staff make sure that pupils have the appropriate medication or equipment with
them during physical activity

Pupils with medical conditions who are finding it difficult to keep up will be referred
onto the Senco who will liaise with the pupil (where appropriate), parent or carer
and healthcare professional

Support will be provided to pupils who experience long periods of absence due to
illness, including liaison with healthcare professionals and providing work from
school
This policy will be reviewed in February 2018
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