William Bellamy Primary School Medicine Policy
Policy Statement
The Governing Body is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and
young people and expects all staff, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment.
Policy aims
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To support individual children with medical needs to achieve regular attendance.
To reduce cross-infection risk between children and increase whole school attendance
To ensure that medicines given at school are stored and administered safely
To ensure that staff are trained appropriately
To ensure that the staff notice board and relevant classroom identifies all students with
long term or emergency medical needs by photographs and advice to staff
Parents should not send children to school if they are unwell. Common childhood
illnesses and recommended exclusion timescales are listed as Appendix 1 of this
policy for guidance.
Non-prescribed medicines
The school will not be able to store or give medicines that have not been prescribed to
a child (e.g. Calpol, Piriton or cough medicines) unless they are part of a long term
Health Care Plan. Please make arrangements to come into school if you wish to give
your child these medicines.
Prescribed medicines – Short Term
Medicines that have been prescribed to take up to 3 times a day, the expectation is that
parents or carers will give these medicines outside of school hours.
If medicines are prescribed 4 times a day, the school strongly encourages parents or
carers to make arrangements to come into school to administer these medicines
themselves. Parents and carers will definitely be required to administer the first 24 hour
dose of any new prescription, for example antibiotics, in case of any side effects the
child may experience.
Please consider whether your child is well enough to be at school if they require
medicine 4 times a day.
The school will look at individual requests but will only administer medication when
agreed by a member of the Senior Leadership Team and only when a completed
consent form (Appendix 2) has been received. If the school agrees to assist parents
and carers to administer a medicine to their child, on a temporary basis, the medicine
must be provided in its original container and must have been dispensed by a
pharmacist and must have a label showing:
• Name of child.
• Name of medicine.
• Dose.
• Method of administration.
• Time/frequency of administration.
• Expiry date.
The instruction leaflet must also be included indicating any possible side effects.
The school will provide blank medicines record forms, and parents/carers must
complete and sign one of these forms if they leave medicine at school.
Procedure for Administering Medicines
1. All medicines to be received, stored, administered and recorded by the same member of
the first aid team. There is a member of staff on each site.
2. Parents to complete the necessary pro forma ( Appendix 2) and to personally hand the
form and the medicine to the Office who will then locate the relevant member of staff.
3. Medicines to be stored in a secure cupboard or fridge as appropriate.
4. Medicines to be administered at 12:15 pm. Where this does not meet the requirements
of the prescription, parents will need to make alternative arrangements or discuss
directly with the allocated member of staff.
5. Children who are to receive medicines will be collected by the allocated First Aider or
other staff member nominated by the Senior Leadership Team and accompanied to
the dedicated first aid area.
6. A visual check, against the name of the child on the medicine packet/bottle will be
carefully checked with the name of the child who is attending the medicine
administration.
7. A record will be made to certify that the name/visual check has been made (see point 6)
and that the dosage has been checked. A record will also be made of the date and time
of the administration.
8. In the event that the allocated member of staff is absent from work the above duties will
be undertaken by a member of staff appointed by the Senior Leadership Team.
9. In the case of asthma pumps, Teaching Assistants with First Aid training will supervise
the administration of the pump. (Appendix 3)
Longer term needs – Health Care Plans/Emergency Medical Needs
Where a child has a long term medical needs or emergency medical needs a written Health
Care Plan will be drawn up with the parents and health professionals. In this case, school staff
will assist with medicines named in the care plan.
The Health Care plans are reviewed on an annual basis or if medication changes.
It is the parents’ or cares responsibility to inform the school of any health or medical changes
that may require the Health Care Plan to be reviewed immediately.
Self-Management
Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own medicine from an early age. A
good example of this is children using their own asthma reliever with a First Aider present.
Parents/carers must still complete a medicine record form, noting that the child will selfadminister and sign the form. The school will store the medicine appropriately.
Refusing Medicine
When a child refuses medicine the parent or carer will be informed the same day. Please be
aware that staff cannot force a child to take medication.
Storage and Disposal of Medicine
The school will store medicine in a secure cabinet, or fridge, as necessary. Medicines that
have not been collected by parents at the end of each term will be safely disposed of. It is the
parents’ responsibility to ensure that medicines kept at school are within the expiry date and
are returned to school at the start of each term.
Please note that failure to ensure that emergency medicine is in school will result in requesting you to
collect your child from school and keeping them at home until medication can be provided.
Emergency treatment and medicine administration
The school will call for an ambulance first and then the parent or named emergency contact
will be notified. The Governing Body will support any member of staff who assists with
medicine in a reasonable good faith attempt to prevent or manage an emergency situation,
regardless of outcome.
L.J. Grove
Assistant Head/ Inclusion Lead
August 2013
To be reviewed July 2014
Ratified by the Governors:
School illness exclusion guidelines – Appendix 1
Please check your child knows how to wash his/her hands thoroughly, to reduce risk of crossinfection. School attendance could be improved for all if children and families wash and dry
their hands well 5 or more times a day.
Chickenpox
Conjunctivitis
Nausea
Diarrhoea and/or
vomiting
German
measles/rubella
Hand, foot and
mouth disease
Head lice
Cold sores
Impetigo
Measles
Mumps
Ringworm
Scabies
Scarletina
Slapped cheek
Threadworms
Whooping cough
Antibiotics
Viral infections
Until blisters have all crusted over or skin healed, usually 5-7 days from
onset of rash.
Parents/carers expected to administer relevant creams. Stay off school if
unwell.
Nausea without vomiting. Return to school 24 hours after last felt
nauseous.
Exclude for 48 hours after last bout (this is 24 hours after last bout plus 24
hours recovery time). Please check your child understands why they need
to wash and dry hands frequently. Your child would need to be excluded
from swimming for 2 weeks.
Return to school 5 days after rash appears but advise school immediately
as pregnant staff members need to be informed .
Until all blisters have crusted over. No exclusion from school if only have
white spots. If there is an outbreak, the school will contact the Health
Protection Unit.
No exclusion, but please wet-comb thoroughly for first treatment, and then
every three days for next 2 weeks to remove all lice.
Only exclude if unwell. Encourage hand-washing to reduce viral spread
Until treated for 2 days and sores have crusted over
For 5 days after rash appears
For 5 days after swelling appears
Until treatment has commenced
Your child can return to school once they have been given their first
treatment although itchiness may continue for 3-4 weeks. All members of
the household and those in close contact should receive treatment.
After 5 days until rash has disappeared or 5 days of antibiotic course has
been completed
No exclusion (infectious before rash) but advise school immediately as
pregnant staff members need to be informed . The child may have to be
moved into another class if there is a possibility of staff being pregnant.
No exclusion. Encourage handwashing including nail scrubbing
Until 5 days of antibiotics have been given. If mild form and no antibiotics,
exclude for 21 days.
First dose must be given at home, and first 24 hour doses must be given
by parent or carer.
Exclude until child is well and temperature is normal (37 degrees).
Appendix 2
PARENTAL CONSENT FOR A CHILD TO RECEIVE PRESCRIBED MEDICATION IN
SCHOOL
Only medicines prescribed by a doctor (4 times a day) or included within a
health care plan will be administered by staff.
All other medicines must be either self administered with supervision or administered by
parents.
ALL MEDICINES TO BE ADMINISTERED AT 12:15 pm(unless alternatives discussed and
agreed by the Senior Leadership Team)
Name of Child:
Medical Condition:
Class:
Home Telephone Number:
Date of Birth:
Emergency Contact Number:
Name of GP:
GP’s Telephone Number:
Hospital Consultant (if
Hospital Telephone Number (if applicable):
applicable):
I consent to my child being administered the following medication during school hours:
Name of prescribed
Dose to be
Any special instructions i.e. self administer,
medicine:
given:
storage in the fridge
I undertake to ensure that the school has adequate supplies of the medication/equipment.
I undertake to ensure that the medication/equipment supplied by me and prescribed by my
child’s doctor is correctly labelled, in date, with storage details attached and that the school will
be informed of any changes.
I understand that the medication/procedure will be carried out by a member of staff according
to these instructions.
Signed: _____________________________________________________________ Date:
________________ (Parent/Carer)
Medicine received in school by: _________________________________________ Date:
________________ (Staff)
Appendix 3
First Aiders July 2013 & Expiry Dates
Karen Jones - April 14
Tracey Cameron - April 14
Brenda Hall - April 14
Jackie Formosa - April 14
Gabriella Ragno
- April 14
David Morrison - April 14
Cassandra Anderson - April 14
Vera Pulaj - April 14
Julie Hustwitt - April 14
Debbie Bullen - April 14
Michelle Fisher- Feb 14
Eliona Aliu - Feb 14
Sue Dell - September 15
Sam Smith – September 15
Danielle Hyams - September 15
Mandy Raybould - September 15Sandra North - June 16
Baljit Rai - June 16
Joanne O’Neill - June 16
Amina Hussain - June 16
Michelle Holroyd - June 16
Nicola Field - June 16
Toni Wheatley - June 16
Sarah Steward- June 16
Christine Schembri- June 16
Kim Boyce - June 16
Christine Hardy - June 16
Anne Darkins
- Feb 15
Jenny Double
- June 16
Donna Rose – April 15
Nicky Worthington – June 16
Cheryl Stephens
Kirsty Otto
Diane Hill