Policy Statement

South Wonston Primary School will undertake to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation and guidance in Health Guidance for Schools with regard to procedures for supporting children with medical requirements, including managing medicines. Responsibility for all administration of medicines at South Wonston Primary School is held by the Headteacher who is the responsible manager.

It is our policy to ensure that all medical information will be treated confidentially by the responsible manager and staff. All administration of medicines is arranged and managed in accordance with the Health Guidance for Schools document. All staff have a duty of care to follow and co-operate with the requirements of this policy.

Aims & Objectives

Our administration of medicine requirements will be achieved by:

• • prescribed medicines
  • non-prescribed medicines
  • maintenance drugs
  • emergency medicine

The administration of medicines is the overall responsibility of the parents. The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring children are supported with their medical needs whilst on site, and this may include managing medicines where appropriate and agreed with parents.

Routine Administration

Prescribed medicines

Non-prescribed medicines

Maintenance drugs

Non-Routine Administration

Emergency medicine

Procedure for Administration

When deciding upon the administration of medicine needs for children, we will discuss this with the parents concerned and make reasonable decisions about the level of care required.

Any child required to have medicines will have an ‘administration of medicines/treatment’ consent form completed by the parent and kept on file.

Individual health care plans will be completed for children where required and reviewed periodically in discussion with the parents to ensure their continuous suitability.

For any child receiving medicines, a ‘record of prescribed medicines’ sheet will be completed each time the medicine is administered and this will be kept on file.

If a child refuses to take medication the parents will be informed the earliest available opportunity.

Contacting Emergency Services

When a medical condition causes the child to become ill and/or requires emergency administration of medicines, then an ambulance will be summoned at the earliest opportunity.

The Medical Room will be used for medicine administration/treatment purposes. The room will be made available when required.

1. staff are required to carry out non-routine or more specialised administration of medicines or emergency treatment to children, appropriate professional training and guidance from a competent source will be sought before commitment to such administration is accepted.

A ‘staff training record’ sheet will be completed to document the level of training undertaken.

Such training will form part of the overall training plan and refresher training will be scheduled at appropriate intervals.

The storage of medicines is the overall responsibility of the Headteacher who will ensure that arrangements are in place to store medicines safely in the medical Room.

The storage of medicines will be undertaken in accordance with product instructions and in the original container in which the medicine was dispensed.

It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that the received medicine container is clearly labelled with the name of the child, the name and dose of the medicine and the frequency of administration.

It is the responsibility of the parents to provide medicine that is in date. This should be agreed with the parents at the time of acceptance of on-site administration responsibilities.

It is not South Wonston Primary School’s responsibility to dispose of medicines. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that all medicines no longer required including those which have date-expired are returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal.

‘Sharps boxes’ will always be used for the disposal of needles. Collection and disposal of the boxes will be locally arranged as appropriate.