Scoil Oilbhéir Naofa, Bettystown
Administration of
Medication
Administration of Medication Policy
Introductory Statement and Rationale
(a) Introductory Statement
This policy was devised by the staff of Scoil Oilbhéir Naofa in March 2011.
(b) Rationale
The Board of Management has a duty to safeguard the health and safety of children while engaged in
school activities. However teachers are not obliged to personally undertake the administration of
medications. They may, at their own discretion, agree to administer certain medicines or
procedures. This will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
It is school policy that children who are acutely ill should not attend school until the illness has been
resolved. In the event of a child becoming acutely ill during the course of the school day, parents or
emergency contacts will be notified to bring the child home to recuperate. In emergency situations,
qualified medical help will be obtained or the child will be brought to the local paediatric emergency
department at the earliest opportunity. Hence provision for administration of medication for acute
illness in school is not deemed necessary. In line with the school ethos, children with chronic illnesses
are encouraged to engage fully in school activities.
Where possible, the family doctor should be asked to prescribe treatments that can be taken outside
school hours. Administration of medication at school should be kept to a minimum. When
administration of medication is required to facilitate a fully inclusive environment, every effort will be
made to accommodate children’s needs in line with the provisions below.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Aims
The aims of this policy are:
 To ensure that the needs of children who require administration of essential medications
during the school day are met, in line with best practice.
 To ensure compliance with relevant legislation.
 To protect staff by ensuring that any involvement in medication administration complies with
best practice guidelines.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Content



(a)
Non-prescription medication will not be stored or administered in the school. Pupils are not
permitted to carry non-prescription medication in school. If found, such medications will be
confiscated and parents/guardians will be contacted.
No teacher can be required to administer medicine or drugs to a pupil.
Any member of staff who is willing to administer medicines should only do so under
strictly controlled guidelines, fully confident that the administration will be safe. It is
wise to limit this willingness to emergency situations only. A member of staff who
does take responsibility for administering medicines takes on a heavy legal duty of
care to discharge the responsibility correctly. Every reasonable precaution must be
taken. Clear instructions about medicines requiring regular administration must be
obtained and strictly followed.
the parent(s) of the pupil concerned should write to the Board of Management
requesting the Board to authorise a member of staff to administer the medication;
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)













the request should also contain written instructions of the procedure to be
followed in administering the medication;
the Board of Management, having considered the matter, may authorise a member
of staff to administer medication to a pupil. If the member of staff is so authorised
she/he should be properly instructed by the Board of Management;
a staff member should not administer medication without the specific
authorisation of the Board;
in administering medication to pupils, members of staff should exercise the
standard of care of a reasonable and prudent parent;
the Board of Management should inform the school's insurers accordingly;
the Board of Management should seek an indemnity from the parent(s) in respect
of any liability that may arise regarding the administration of the medication.
If the Board agrees that the medication can be stored and administered in school it is the
responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that an adequate supply of medication is in
stock, and that the medication has not passed its expiry date. In the event that medication
passes its expiry date without being used, the child’s parents/guardians will take responsibility
for its safe disposal (usually by returning to the pharmacy).
Medication will usually be stored in a locked cupboard in the staffroom to allow for ease of
access.
Medication for children in Loughcrew is stored in a locked cabinet in Loughcrew.
Arrangements should also be made by the Board of Management for the safe storage of
medication and procedures for the administration of medication in the event of the authorised
member of staff’s absence. It is the parent/ guardian’s responsibility to check each morning
whether or not the authorised teacher is in school unless an alternative arrangement is made
locally.
In emergencies members of staff should do no more than is obviously necessary and
appropriate to relieve extreme distress or prevent further and otherwise irreparable harm.
Qualified medical treatment should be secured in emergencies at the earliest opportunity.
Where possible, the school should request that medical practitioners would arrange times for
medication so that they don’t coincide with school time.
The Board of Management requests parents to ensure that teachers be made aware in writing
of any medical condition suffered by any children in their class. Children who are epileptics
or diabetics or who are prone to anaphylactic shock syndrome may have an attack at any time
and it is vital, therefore, to identify the symptoms in order that treatment can be given by an
appropriate person if necessary.
A written record of the date and time of administration of medicine will be kept in the
medication cabinet.
Changes in prescribed medication should be notified immediately to the school with clear
written instructions of the procedure to be followed in storing and administering the new
medication.
All medicine must be taken home at the end of the school year by parent and signed for in the
medication folder. The parent/ guardian is responsible for collecting from office.
Staff training is provided regularly by the diabetic nurse and a local doctor for the
specific care of certain children.
Children with an identified serious or life threatening condition will have their
photograph, emergency contact details and procedures to follow in an emergency on
display in their classroom, staffroom and first aid area.
Each teacher who has a child with a serious medical condition will highlight this on their
split list in the case of absence and a copy of the emergency information will be passed to
the class teacher where the child is going.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Implementation
The policy will be implemented from June 2011.
Early review will be undertaken if
 A clinically significant discrepancy is identified between the medication administered and
that authorised on the relevant “Request for Administration of Medication – Information and
Consent” form.
 Feedback indicates that any aspect of the policy is causing a pupil or any other member of the
school community undue distress.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Review
This policy will be reviewed in June 2012.
This policy was reviewed in September 2014 and the items in bold were added.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Ratification and Communication
This policy was ratified by the Board of Management on the 27th June 2011.