PEPONI SCHOOLS
Administration of Medicines Policy
Author/reviewed by:
Headmaster, Peponi School Head, Peponi House Head of Peponi House Kabete Kindergarten
Date of Policy September 2023
Review Frequency: Annually
Review Date: September 2024
Aims of the Policy
This policy applies to Peponi House Schools including boraders.
Clear policies, understood and accepted by staff, parents and pupils, provide a sound basis for ensuring children with medical needs receive proper care and support at school and where applicable. This policy will promote, where possible, regular school attendance. The formal procedures drawn up in partnership with parents, staff and healthcare professionals where appropriate support this policy.
Safety
Some medicines may be harmful to anyone for whom they are not prescribed. By agreeing to administer medicines on the premises, the school has a duty to ensure that the risks to others are properly controlled.
Storage
Prescription and non-prescription medicines should be locked in a secure cupboard to which only the school nurse have access.
The exceptions are medicines and devices, such as inhalers, inhaler spacers and Adrenaline Auto-injectors (for emergency which are easily located in a well labelled unlockable cupboard near the window in the nurses’ office.
Some medicine need to be refrigerated. These are stored in the school nurse office fridge.
Medicine should be stored in the original container in which it was dispensed, clearly marked with the name of the drug and pupil when it is a prescribed medicine. Where pupils with specific needs bring medicine into school, such as to complete a course of treatment thereby minimising the absence from school, the drug needs to be in its original packaging, clearly labelled with the name of the pupil, the name of the drug, the dosage and frequency of administration and instructions for storage. Medication form should be completed by the parent/carer for medicine required on a long term and ad hoc basis. Pupils should know where their own medication is stored. The school nurse is responsible for making sure that medicines are stored safely. Please also see section 5 for medicines brought from overseas.
The following non-prescription medicine can be kept in stock:
i. Paracetamol
ii. Ibuprofen
iii. Decongestant
iv. Antihistamine syrups
v. Buscopan
vi. Anti-diarrhoea tablets
vii. Antiemetic medicine
viii. Lozanges
Pupils should be allowed to carry their own asthma inhalers or have clear knowledge of where they are in a centralised place in the School, and be able to use them as required. Pupils should have had previous instruction on correct usage and their technique regularly checked by Doctor during their annual check-up. This also applies to those pupils carrying medication for other conditions, such as pupils carrying AAIs and/or antihistamine for allergic reactions, those carrying insulin or hypostop to control diabetes, those carrying pancreatin (creon) to aid digestion for medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis and those carrying analgesia to control migraine/severe period pains.
Overseas medicines
Overseas medicines (herbal or otherwise) must have an English translation, the pupil’s name on it and a doctor’s prescription letter, if appropriate. Parents and pupils must inform the school health care practitioner of any medication being sent to school. Non-identifiable medication will not be allowed on site.
Access
Pupils must know where their medicines are kept and be able to access them immediately. If relevant, they must know who holds the key to a locked storage facility. However, it is important that medicine is only available to those for whom it has been prescribed.
Standing Orders
If a pupil suffers regularly with acute pain, such as migraine, the parents/carers should authorise and supply appropriate analgesia (pain relief) for their child’s use, with written instructions about how and when to administer the medication. The school nurse should supervise the pupil taking the medication and notify the parents/carers.
Administering Medication
Medicines should only be administered in school when it would be detrimental to a child's health or school attendance not to do so. Written parental consent will be sought for administering prescription medication to pupils.
The school nurse giving prescribed medicine to a pupil should check:
i. The pupil’s name and that this matches up with the dispensing label on the drug and it is in its original packaging;
ii. The pupil’s date of birth;
iii. The written (translated if applicable) instructions provided by the prescriber on the dispensing label or container;
iv. The drug to be given by generic or brand name;
v. The strength of the medication;
vi. The prescribed dose;
vii. The maximum dosage;
viii. The last time the pupil had the medication; ix. The frequency of the medication;
x. The route of administration;
xi. Any allergies or existing medical conditions that may contraindicate the medication; xii. The expiry date of the drug;
xiii. The circumstances in which the drug is to be administered;
xiv. Their own ability / training needs to administer the drug; and
xv. The possible side effects of the drug and what to do if they occur.
Before issuing non-prescription medicine to a pupil, the school nurse administering medicines to pupils: i. must be certain of the identity of the child to whom the medicine is to be administered; ii. must check that the parent(s) have given appropriate consent for the medicine to be administered; iii. must check that the child is not allergic to the medicine before administering it; iv. must know the therapeutic uses of the medicine to be administered (i.e. what it is for), its normal dosage, side effects, precautions, and contra-indications;
v. should check whether the pupil is used to taking the medicine; and must know when the pupil last took the medicine and whether they have eaten.
The health care practitioner issuing the medicine must log this accordingly at the time of administering.
An accurate written record of all medication administered must be documented in the daily entry book, the pupil’s diary and a verbal report to the parent.
Circumstances in which Medicines may be Administered.
Non-prescription medication should be administered by the school nurse. Members of staff accompanying school trips will be given written information about non-prescription medications, which they might be required to administer (contained on the external packaging which must be included). On a pupil’s entry to the school, all parents/carers must complete a medical consent form which gives permission for the School’s Healthcare Practitioner, designated First Aider or Appointed Person to administer specific nonprescription medicines. For medicines required on an ad hoc basis which are not included within permissions already given, the School will request a medication form to be completed by the parents.
Paracetamol may be administered for headaches, pyrexia (temperatures) abdominal pains, toothache, and other conditions when deemed appropriate. It may also be administered to those pupils who are unable to tolerate Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen, for example asthmatic pupils.
Ibuprofen may be administered for dysmenorrhoea (painful menstruation), migraine and injuries including such as sporting injuries and other conditions when deemed appropriate. If a pupil requires hospital care, full details of any medication given must be handed to staff at the Accident and Emergency Department Ibuprofen will be withheld from all asthmatic pupils unless otherwise instructed by the parents.
Analgesia (except Paracetamol) will normally be withheld in cases involving head injury.
Antihistamines (Piriton/Cetirizine) may be administered for a mild allergic reaction.
If the school nurse has any concerns regarding the administration of any medicine to a pupil, the medication will be withheld until the parents/carers have been contacted.
Prescription Only Medicines (POMs) will be administered, with the written consent of the parents where necessary, by the School’s Nurse, the Appointed Persons, a first aid trained designated member of staff or other staff assessed as competent in their absence with detailed instruction.
The medicines generally (but not exclusively) administered include adrenaline (in the form of an AAI), Salbutamol, Ventolin, Cetirizine (Zyrtec) analgesia and antibiotics. These should only be administered from the original containers containing the written prescription – this includes the name and date of birth of the pupil. The name of the drug and the strength and the timing of administration should all be legible. The individual healthcare plan (if applicable) should be referred to for allergic reactions.
Pupils known to have anaphylactic reactions will have an individual healthcare plan to advise on the treatment of their condition. These are kept with the adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) for individual pupils. It is also good practice to have a filled medication form, confirming parental consent to administer the medication to be kept with the AAI and the healthcare plan as in these circumstances, time is of the essence.
The school holds spare AAI devices for use in emergencies. These are for any pupil who holds both medical authorisation and parental consent for an AAI to be administered. The AAIs can be used if the pupil’s own prescribed AAI is not immediately available (for example, because it is broken, out-of-date, has misfired or been wrongly administered).
All staff are required to complete training in the administration of emergency adrenaline during their induction and the beginning of each term during INSET days.
Should the need arise for the administration of adrenaline, the staff member should stay with the pupil and inform the school nurse and the parents/carers.
If adrenaline is administered, prompt transfer to hospital should be arranged by calling AAR Emergency number (0725225225/0734225225) or Emergency Medical Services (Red Cross Ambulance-0700395395).
Please see the First Aid and Emergency Procedures for further information.
Support should be provided for those witnessing the event and time allowed to talk through concerns raised.
Privacy
All pupils are entitled to privacy for the administration of medicines, especially those pupils requiring invasive techniques such as injections. This maintains the dignity of the pupil but also lessens the distress of fellow pupils, especially if the administration is in an emergency.
Privacy also allows the pupils the opportunity to discuss any confidential matters with the school nurse involved.
Parental Responsibility
Parents/carers are responsible for supplying information about the medicines their child needs to take at school. They are responsible for informing the school nurse in writing/email of any changes to the prescription. Verbal messages will be accepted as a change to the prescription as long as this is documented. The parent/carer or the pupil’s healthcare professional should provide written details to include:
i. The name of the medication;
ii. The dose;
iii. The method of administration;
iv. The time and frequency of administration;
v. The length of treatment / stop date if appropriate;
vi. Other treatments required; and
vii. Any possible side effects.
Parents/carers are also responsible for ensuring that medicines stored for occasional use are not out-ofdate. All dates of medicines stored in school will be checked every term and pupils’ parents notified of medicines due to become out-of-date. It is recommended that parents note when sending medicines to school when a replacement prescription will be required.
Record Keeping
Pupils medical information records are kept in MIS of any medical condition, any specific medication, any allergies, past medical/surgical history and last medical check-up.
School Trips
Pupils with special medical needs should be encouraged to participate in school trips. Staff may need to take additional safety measures for outside visits. Consideration should be given to transporting medications safely. Pupils, who take daily medication for any condition should not be asked to carry medications; staff should take sole responsibility. Where applicable, pupils should carry only their own medication. Ideally written permission should be given by the parents to administer paracetamol/Calpol,
ibuprofen/Nurofen and piriton/cetirizine upfront (by completion of the Medical Information Form). Details of pupils’ medical needs and medication are detailed on the risk assessment for each trip.
Pupils who may require emergency administration of medication should be easily identifiable to the staff in charge of the trip/visit. The medication for those pupils should be signed out and returned immediately on return to school. A protocol for the administration of the medicine should be kept with the medicine and referred to accordingly.
Any medicine administered should be done so in accordance with paragraphs 9.2 to 9.3 above.
If staff are concerned about whether they can provide for a pupil’s safety, or the safety of other pupil and staff on the trip, they can discuss their concerns with the School Healthcare Practitioner in the first instance.
Sporting Activities
Most pupils with medical conditions can participate in the Physical Education curriculum or extra-curricular sport. For many, physical exercise can benefit their overall social, mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Some pupils may need to take precautionary measures before and during exercise, such as those asthmatic pupils who may need to self-administer their inhalers. Staff supervising sporting activities should be aware of pupils’ medical conditions and must allow access to their medication. They should supervise the selfmedication and be aware of emergency procedures.
Caution must be exercised when taking pupils off site, such as to any offsite games fields. Staff supervising sporting activities away from school should be aware of pupils who use auto-injectors, which will be in the first aid kit and signed out by the school nurse.
School Transport.
The school needs to ensure the safety of all pupils traveling on school transport on school trip and external sports fixtures. The staff should be familiar with the school’s policies and protocols and emergency procedures.
The anaphylaxis risk assessment which forms part of the IHP will include an emergency transport plan to be completed in partnership with parents for pupils who have been prescribed AAI and are going on a school trip or external matches, to take their prescribed AAI with them for the journey and sign this back into the school.
The School Healthcare Practitioner and the parent/carer should be made aware of any medication administered during the school trips or any eternal sports fixtures.
Disposal of Medicines.
Any expired medicine/medical waste/ all sharp in the school clinic are collected by the Medical Waste Disposal Company every twice in a term.
No medicine should be disposed of in the sewerage system or the refuse. Current waste disposal regulations make this illegal. Sharps boxes should always be used for the disposal of needles.
Emergency Procedures.
All staff should be aware of the First Aid and Emergency Procedures and who has responsibility for performing emergency procedures as required.
A pupil taken to hospital should be accompanied by the school health or a member of staff, who should stay with the pupil until their parents/carers arrive.
Generally, staff should not take pupils to hospital in their own cars; accompanying staff should use the AAR ambulance or Red Cross Ambulance to transport pupils to hospital.
Staff taking medication/other substance
Staff must not be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance which may affect their ability to care for pupils. If members of staff are taking medication which may affect their ability to care for pupils, they should seek medical advice. The school must ensure that those members of staff only work directly with pupils if medical advice confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that staff member’s ability to look after pupils properly. Staff medication on the premises must be securely stored, and out of reach of pupils, at all times. Staff who carry emergency medication should discuss arrangements for supporting them with their line manager and an IHP may be completed if requested by the member of staff.