Microsoft word - medicines at school.doc

St Lawrence School
Policy for
Medicines in School
Policy on Medicines in School
It should be noted that there is no legal duty that requires school staff to administer medicines but that we, at St Lawrence Primary School, are willing to undertake this task to enable regular attendance, under the following conditions. This is a voluntary role. Some support staff may have specific duties to provide medical assistance as part of their contract. No member of staff should administer any medications unless they have received proper training. First aiders are not trained to administer medication. The type of medicine it will/will not administer
Parents should keep children at home when they are acutely unwell.
Medicines should only be taken to school where it would be detrimental to a
child’s health if it were not administered during the school day.
Prescription Medicines
Only prescription medicines will be given in line with this Policy. Aspirin or
ibuprofen will NOT be administered unless prescribed by a doctor. Parents
are welcome to come in and give their child medicine if they wish.
Parental Responsibilities
Children must not keep medicines anywhere in school. They must be taken to
the Office at the start of the school day. Medicines must not be self
administered by the child.
For medicines to be administered in school, they must be properly labelled
with the name of the child, the required dose and the appropriate time at
which they should be administered.
Medicines are not accepted out of the container in which they were originally
dispensed and must include the prescriber’s instructions.
A parent/carer or guardian must complete the appropriate form, required
under Health and Safety regulations, before medicines can be accepted into
school.
Staff Responsibilities
All medicines will be kept in the Headteacher’s Office in the safe and
administered by named members the staff.
Medicines required to be taken when a child is on a school trip will be administered by the child’s class teacher in accordance with the written instructions given by the parent on the appropriate form. Medicines needing refrigeration will be kept in the refrigerator in the Staffroom in an airtight container, clearly labelled. When a child is given medicine he/she will first be asked his/her name and this name checked against the name on the medicine – even if the member of staff knows the child well. The appropriate form, signed by the parent, must be checked for the time the medicine is required and the dosage.
The Record Book must be checked to ensure that another member of staff
has not already administered the dose.
If the administration of prescription medicines requires technical or medical
knowledge, then individual training will be provided to staff from a qualified
health professional.
Record Keeping
The date, name and class of the child, the type and dose of the medicine and
the time of administration of the medicine, will be recorded in the Record Book
together with the initials of the administrator.
Long Term or Complex Medical Needs
Consultation with the parent/guardian will need to take place prior to the
administration of long term or complex medical needs. Specialist Nurses will
be consulted if necessary.
Written description of the medical condition and needs will be produced by the
school and stored on the CMIS system, having been provided by the parent,
checked by the latter and the names of individual children with medical needs
will then be issued to the Class Teacher, the TA, and the SMT at the start of
the school year. A detailed copy will be kept in the medical records file in the
office.
These records will be updated annually in September.
Storage of Medicines
Medicines will be kept in a safe in the Headteacher’s Office with the key
accessible to the Admin. staff and the Headteacher.
Medicines requiring refrigeration will be kept in the Staffroom refrigerator.
They should be in an airtight container and clearly labelled.
Emergency Procedures
An ambulance will be called in all emergency situations.
A child should not be taken to hospital in a staff car except in very exceptional
circumstances.
In the parent’s absence, a member of staff will accompany the child to
hospital and stay with the child until the parent arrives. Health professionals
are responsible for any decisions regarding medical treatment when parents
are not available.
Disposal of Medicines
Medicines will be returned to the parents who must sign the form accepting
them back. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that date-expired
medicines are returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal. All medicines will be
returned to the parent at the end of the school year.
Residential Holidays
Where children are staying away from home on a residential visit organised
by the school, parents will be asked to sign a form giving permission for mild
medication such as paracetamol, antiseptic cream or lip salve, to be
administered by staff if deemed necessary.
The conditions and procedures for the administration of medicines on
residential visits are identical to those at school. All medication must be
handed over to the designated adult prior to departure in a clearly labelled
bag. All medicines must be in their original packaging with the pharmacy’s
leaflets and it is advisable for the child to have had prior exposure to the
medication before the visit e.g. sea sickness tablets.

Asthma Inhalers
Asthma sufferers should be allowed to retain their inhalers where possible, or they should be readily available. Inhalers must not be kept in first aid boxes or any place at a distance from the patient. As inhalers now have different doses of the medication they must not be shared. Epipens

All staff will be trained in the use of an epipen. Please refer to detailed
instructions regarding procedures, storage and administration. This
information is attached.
This Policy will be reviewed in January 2014.
Signed ______________________________ Date __________________

Source: http://www.stlawrence.sch.je/resources/__98f600b50d7788ecfdfdf4369f32544f.pdf