Guidance for school staff - medicines
From Usefulwiki
Extracted from Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings
Contents |
Administering Medicines
No child under 16 should be given medicines without their parent’s written consent. Any member of staff giving medicines to a child should check:
- the child’s name
- prescribed dose
- expiry date
- written instructions provided by the prescriber on the label or container
If in doubt about any procedure staff should not administer the medicines but check with the parents or a health professional before taking further action. If staff have any other concerns related to administering medicine to a particular child, the issue should be discussed with the parent, if appropriate, or with a health professional attached to the school or setting
Early years settings must keep written records each time medicines are given. Schools should also arrange for staff to complete and sign a record each time they give medicine to a child. Form 5 or 6 can be used for this purpose. Good records help demonstrate that staff have exercised a duty of care. In some circumstances such as the administration of rectal diazepam, it is good practice to have the dosage and administration witnessed by a second adult.
Self-Management
It is good practice to support and encourage children, who are able, to take responsibility to manage their own medicines from a relatively early age and schools should encourage this. The age at which children are ready to take care of, and be responsible for, their own medicines, varies. As children grow and develop they should be encouraged to participate in decisions about their medicines and to take responsibility.
Older children with a long-term illness should, whenever possible, assume complete responsibility under the supervision of their parent. Children develop at different rates and so the ability to take responsibility for their own medicines varies. This should be borne in mind when making a decision about transferring responsibility to a child or young person. There is no set age when this transition should be made. There may be circumstances where it is not appropriate for a child of any age to self-manage. Health professionals need to assess, with parents and children, the appropriate time to make this transition.
If children can take their medicines themselves, staff may only need to supervise. The policy should say whether children may carry, and administer (where appropriate), their own medicines, bearing in mind the safety of other children and medical advice from the prescriber in respect of the individual child. A suggested parental consent form is provided in Form 7.
Where children have been prescribed controlled drugs staff need to be aware that these should be kept in safe custody. However children could access them for self-medication if it is agreed that it is appropriate.
Refusing Medicines
If a child refuses to take medicine, staff should not force them to do so, but should note this in the records and follow agreed procedures. The procedures may either be set out in the policy or in an individual child’s health care plan. Parents should be informed of the refusal on the same day. If a refusal to take medicines results in an emergency, the school or setting’s emergency procedures should be followed.
Record Keeping
Parents should tell the school or setting about the medicines that their child needs to take and provide details of any changes to the prescription or the support required. However staff should make sure that this information is the same as that provided by the prescriber.
Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions. In all cases it is necessary to check that written details include:
- name of child
- name of medicine
- dose
- method of administration
- time/frequency of administration
- any side effects
- expiry date
It may be helpful to give parents a form to record details of medicines in a standard format. Staff should check that any details provided by parents, or in particular cases by a paediatrician or specialist nurse, are consistent with the instructions on the container.
A form can be used to confirm, with the parents, that a member of staff will administer medicine to their child.
All early years settings must keep written records of all medicines administered to children, and make sure that parents sign the record book to acknowledge the entry.
Although there is no similar legal requirement for schools to keep records of medicines given to pupils, and the staff involved, it is good practice to do so. Records offer protection to staff and proof that they have followed agreed procedures. Some schools keep a logbook for this.
School Staff Giving Medicines
Teachers’ conditions of employment do not include giving or supervising a pupil taking medicines. Schools should ensure that they have sufficient members of support staff who are employed and appropriately trained to manage medicines as part of their duties.
Any member of staff who agrees to accept responsibility for administering prescribed medicines to a child should have appropriate training and guidance. They should also be aware of possible side affects of the medicines and what to do if they occur. The type of training necessary will depend on the individual case.
