Does your Primary School administer short term medicines.

[FranSanDisco]

I specifically mean medicines not requiring a care plan such as calpol or penicillan which may need to be given during the school day as part of a course of treatment.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

Yes. We have a 'getting better bay' at school and if child seems unwell, they will phone and ask if they can give calpol.

Also you can send medicine in and they will administer it.

[insanityscratching]

Yes they will administer medicines and with permission will give calpol from their own supplies.

[FranSanDisco]

Thanks for your replies. Who administers the medicines? I am asking because two LAs in my area refuse to allow schools to do this (or so I am told) and parents often complain.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

We have a dedicated person who does this as part of her role, so its not the teachers or office staff. The school is private and I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not in terms of LA guidance.

[mycatoscar]

We don't administer any medicines like this in my school. But we can supervise children administering them, parents must send written permission and the dose has to be pre measured in a syringe or medicine cup.

The only medicine we are trained to administer is epipens.

[notapizzaeater]

No. It has to be a prescribed medicine and has to be more than 3 times a day, and even then it's a best endeavours basis.

[spanieleyes]

Yes, as long as it has been prescribed and can't be given at home ( so we wouldn't give "twice a day after meals" as this could be given after breakfast and tea but would give "every three hours" as this is unavoidable" ) Nor would we give calpol unless prescribed and not if ( as we have been told) "my child has a temperature but will be fine if you give her calpol every couple of hours".

[FranSanDisco]

MrsCampbellBlack, interesting that your school is private. I would be interested to know if it is a private/state school thing. I have been told the schools follow LA directives which wouldn't apply to some schools such as private schools.

[FranSanDisco]

Spanieleyes - the schools in the LAs I am familiar with require parents/carers to come in for the 3 hourly type treatments.

[firsttimemama]

My Dc's primary do. The Welfare lady does it. I think they wouldn't do Capol etc but they may have changed their mind on that lately. Parents have to hand over the medicine and speak with the Welfare lady in person before she will take on this responsibility.

[Hulababy]

In work in an infant school.

Prescribed medicines are handed in at office and a form filled in. They will then give it to the child when they go to the office.

Long term meds are Dealt with separately and normally by the class teacher or TA.

Non prescribed meds such as a parent asking us to give a child calpol - no, not without A doctor prescribing it

[FranSanDisco]

Hulababy and firsttimemama are your schools state or private schools if you don't mind me asking.

[PatriciaHolm]

Yes, our state has no problem with it as long as parents sign when they give it in. They would prefer children self administer but office staff will give it.

[Sirzy]

The school my son is at will only give long term medicines generally which I think is fair enough.

They certainly shouldn't be giving calpol type medicines as if a child needs them they shouldn't be in school IMO.

[FranSanDisco]

Would the schools that do administer medicine also deal with ear and eye drops I am wondering?

[Hulababy]

State infants


The independent prep dd went to would administer prescribed meds and sometime non prescribed such as Calpil depending on circumstances. They wouldn't agree when it was a poorly child just being given it to keep them going. But when dd had period pain in y6 they allowed her to have Calpol fast melts kept in the office.

[noramum]

Our school only administer prescribed medicine. They allow antibiotics but prefer the type you only need to take 3 times a day as you can do this then outside school hours.

Medicine is kept in the office and staff administer it but prefers the child to do it. They also admit that a 4 year old can't do it though.

Insulin, asthma and allergic medications are also kept in the office and given either daily or when necessary.

[trinity0097]

I work in an independent school and we give all sorts of drugs, either ones that parents bring in, or standard things from our supplies, e.g. Calpol, piriton, deep heat etc... Parents give consent, either for the nurse to decide whether the child needs it or for the nurse to ring and get consent first. Different consents can be given for different meds, e.g. They could say yes never ask parents for painkillers, but do ask for allergy meds for example. Our school day is much longer so not appropriate to insist that doses have to be at home.

[insanityscratching]

Our school do administer eye drops (antihistamine for dd) and I assume ear drops (dd has never needed them). They are kept in the office, the TA administers them for dd but dosage etc is double checked by office staff.

[ginmakesitallok]

Ours will only give prescribed medicines, with set timings. So when dd recently needed break through pain relief after an op they wouldn't give it to her, I kept her off school.

[ginmakesitallok]

Ours will only give prescribed medicines, with set timings. So when dd recently needed break through pain relief after an op they wouldn't give it to her, I kept her off school.

[Barbeasty]

Of the 4 primary schools we are applying to 2 will give medicine, 1 would rather not but will if necessary, the last one will not in any circumstances.

I'd rather not apply to the last one, mainly for that reason, but it's our village school and we don't want to risk getting none of our choices and not getting free transport because that school wasn't on our form.

I couldn't afford not to work just because a DC needed medicine during school hours.

[ShoeWhore]

State primary.

Only administers medicine where it's lifesaving like an epipen (inhalers are ok) or part of a child's statement.

[MidniteScribbler]

Only if prescribed by a doctor. Not if prescribed by a parent eg 'he'll be fine in a couple of hours if you give him some panadol." Nope, then he needs to be at home.