THORNHAM ST.JAMES’ PRIMARY SCHOOL

Medical Conditions Policy

January 2020

Overview

This school places the highest importance on the care, safety, well-being and health of its pupils and staff especially those with known medical conditions. This policy had been written to give clear guidelines about the appropriate action to be taken where a pupil is admitted to school with an identified medical condition or when any child or adult is unwell or has an accident. It should be read in conjunction with the Medicines Policy, the First Aid Policy, Educational Visits Policy and the DfE guidance ‘Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions’ April 2014. From September 2014,’The Children and Families Act 2014’, places a statutory duty on schools to make arrangements for children with medical conditions.

Objectives:

1. To ensure that good, effective and appropriate care is provided when a child is admitted to school with an identified medical condition or when any child or adult is unwell or has an accident in school or on a school occasion.
2. To ensure that the DfE guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions’ (Sept 2014) is known understood and followed and to ensure that appropriate training is provided for all staff and particularly for those with the care of pupils with medical conditions in line with DfE guidance (Sept 2014).

Key Roles and Responsibilities

The local Authority is responsible for:

1. Promoting co-operation between relevant partners regarding supporting pupils with medical conditions.
2. Providing support, advice/guidance and training to schools and their staff to ensure Individual Healthcare Plans (IHP) are effectively delivered.
3. Working with schools to ensure pupils attend full-time or make alternative arrangements for the education of pupils who need to be out of school for fifteen days or more due to a health need and who otherwise would not receive a suitable education.

     The Governing Body is responsible for:

1. Ensuring arrangements are in place to support pupils with medical conditions.
2. Ensuring that all pupils with medical conditions are able to play a full and active role in all aspects of school life whenever possible, remain healthy and achieve their academic potential.
3. Ensure that relevant training is delivered to a sufficient number of staff who will have responsibility to support children with medical conditions.

      The Headteacher is responsible for:

1. Ensuring staff are made aware of and follow this policy.
2. The day-to-day implementation and management of the Medical Conditions Policy.
3. Liaising with healthcare professionals regarding the training required for staff.
4. Identifying staff who need to be aware of a child’s medical condition.
5. Developing Individual Health Care Plans (IHPs)
6. Ensuring a sufficient number of trained members of staff are available to implement the policy in normal, contingency and emergency situations.
7. Assigning appropriate accommodation for medical treatment/care.
8. Considering the purchase of a defibrillator.

      Staff members are responsible for:

1. Taking appropriate steps to support children with medical conditions.
2. Taking account of the needs of pupils with medical conditions in lessons.
3. Undertaking training to achieve the necessary competency for supporting pupils with medical conditions.
4. Ensuring any necessary equipment e.g. inhalers, epipens, emergency medication are held in an accessible location, following DfE guidance.

       School Nurses are responsible for:

1. Notifying the school when a child has been identified as requiring support in school due to a medical condition.
2. Supporting staff to implement an IHP and then participate in regular reviews of the IHP. Giving advice on training needs.

      Parents and carers are responsible for:

1. Keeping the school informed about any new medical condition or changes to their child’s health.
2. Participating in the development and regular reviews of their child’s IHP.
3. Completing a parental consent form to administer medicine or treatment before bringing medication into school.
4. Providing the school with the medication their child requires.
5. Carrying out actions assigned to them in the IHP.

 Strategies:

1. Where a pupil is admitted to school with a medical condition, the school will liaise with parents, carers, relevant medical, clinical and other appropriate authorities to ensure that the child’s individual needs are met and that they are given full access to the education provided for all pupils.
2. The headteacher will make teachers and others who care for a pupil with a medical condition, aware of the medical condition and its needs and levels of care and support that are to be provided.
3. Appropriate training will be provided for all staff and particularly for those with the care of pupils with medical conditions in line with DfE guidance (Sept 2014).
4. If any pupil, including those with known medical conditions, is unwell in class or has an accident in school, the headteacher and/or first aider (or if the situation occurs out of school – the teacher in charge) will assess the pupil and decide on the appropriate action. This may include giving care and first aid or calling for an emergency ambulance if a pupil is seriously unwell or injured or their known medical condition is causing concern.
5. In the event of a serious medical emergency requiring hospital treatment, an ambulance should be called immediately and staff should care for the patient until medical help arrives. If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will remain with the child until the parents arrive.
6. In the event of a child in Nursery or Reception having an accident in school, staff should always seek the help and support of a Paediatric Trained First Aider who will then treat the child appropriately.
7. A pupil's parents will be contacted as soon as possible, whenever there is a medical emergency or if a pupil receives first aid treatment or has an accident. Where appropriate, the school will ask the parent/guardian to attend to support the pupil. Parents must always be notified if a child has a head injury, however minor it may appear at the time.
8. If in an accident or medical emergency, bodily fluids need clearing up the site staff will be called to deal with the matter.
9. The form/book (for recording accidents and other medical emergencies) must be completed by the member of staff who is present at the scene of an accident or medical emergency.
10. If the injured person is a member of staff, they are responsible themselves for completing the form in the appropriate accident book.
11. If an accident or medical emergency occurs off the school premises the member of staff present should complete the Accident Form as soon as possible after returning to school. 
12. The teacher in charge of any outing off the school premises has the responsibility for being acquainted with any specific medical needs or conditions of the pupils in his/her charge and have appropriate training in how to care for the child’s subsequent medical needs.
13. Risk assessments must be carried out for all pupils especially those with known medical conditions on each trip. Prior to educational trips and visits, parents will be asked to complete a Consent Form and provision will be made to meet all risks and cover medical needs. 
14. In the event that an accident occurs out of school and the family cannot be contacted, at least one member of staff should accompany the person to hospital. In no circumstances should any students be left unattended as a result of a member of staff accompanying the injured person to hospital; in this instance, an ambulance should be called.
15. Staff planning educational visits or journeys, should consider the level of First Aid cover that will be required and the specific support needed by pupils with known medical conditions.
16. A designated teacher will be given overall responsibility for the care of pupils with known and identified medical conditions

 Individual Health Care Plans (IHPs)

Where necessary an IHP will be developed in collaboration with the pupil, parents/carers, Headteacher, SENCO and medical professionals.

IHPs will be easily accessible to all relevant staff, whilst preserving confidentiality. In the case of conditions with potential life-threatening implications the information should be available and easily accessible to everyone.

Medicines

• Where possible, unless advised it would be detrimental to health, medicines should be prescribed in frequencies that allow the pupil to take them outside of school hours.
• If this is not possible, the parents/carers of the child must complete a parental consent to administer medicine form. (See First Aid Policy)
• No child will be given any prescription or non-prescription medicine without written parental consent except in exceptional circumstances.
• Medicines MUST be in date, labelled and provided in the original container with dosage instructions.
• Medications will be stored in the Headteacher’s office unless they need to be stored in the staffroom fridge.

Conclusion:

This policy will ensure that where a child has a medical condition or where a child or adult is unwell or has an accident in school or on a school occasion, they are appropriately supported and cared for. It will ensure that the school does all that it reasonably can to give all pupils including those with a known medical condition full access to the education provided.

M.Johnson

Headteacher