Inhaler shared at sports club

[tamabarrel]

Have NC for this.

My child’s reliever inhaler was shared with another child at training (non school) yesterday.

A coach of another squad approached my child’s squad and asked for an inhaler for a member of their squad to use.

The child requiring the inhaler was not having an attack as such, required one puff, was thankfully fine, and was then able to participate. Children involved are early secondary.

I’m concerned about this for several reasons. Surely the coaches have a duty of care to ensure that pupils requiring emergency medication have it with them (obviously the parents and child should have ensured the inhaler was with the child). Lack of asthma training is a concern - looking at club policies, there is no reference to this. Prescribed medication being shared is a concern.

Would you contact the club regarding this?

It’s not ideal at all but I’d use someone else’s for mine in an emergency if I knew it was the same medication. For someone else’s child? Likely not unless they literally couldn’t breathe.

Yes I would.

Yes I’d contact the club. In my surgical practice we have an inhaler in our first aid/medical emergency supplies. It’s strictly single use only

I think there are several concerns-

the other child should not be participating in the activity without an inhaler (this may have been a case of forgetting it) so that needs to be addressed and if they come without then they don't participate-it is not up to you to be back up

your child's prescription medication should not be given to another child in a non emergency situation (or ever)

the coaches should not be giving medication to a child that does not belong to them-how can they be sure it was the correct medication??

it def sounds like there needs to be a review of best practice re asthma and I would raise it-not angrily but for future clarity re medication, permission and asthma treatment

Thank you all.

@MrsMitford3 You’ve pretty much summed up all my concerns.

I wouldn’t like this - my daughter and I will use each other’s if really necessary but I don’t even particularly like doing that, and I know it’s the same medication and strength.

I would ask for everyone to consider how to avoid this situation in future but wouldn’t have a huge drama over it. But I’m in Scotland so can get a new one for free.

l would lend an inhaler in a heartbeat, in fact I have, though to an adult. You don’t know how asthma is going to go.

The club needs much safer policies.

I think you should write explaining you heard this happened, would like to check what happened, and ask what their inhaler policies are.

Once it's all clarified you can suggest changes that are needed.

Asthma kills, it can happen very very quickly, I know from bitter experience.

What would you want to happen if your child was having an attack? Someone had a Ventolin inhaler to hand would you refuse to save your child’s life?

I think it’s a decent thing to do to give someone an inhaler if they need it.

I cannot understand what you are talking about. If you make a complaint about this then someone might not get access in an emergency.

Instead could you come up with a suggestion that they have a spare one in the first aid kit.

It's not ideal. I suspect the other DC forgot their own inhaler. I very occasionally borrow DH inhaler and he borrows mine if he forgot his own. On holiday last summer he somehow forgot to pack his own and we shared one every day for a week. Asthma is a killer. One time my adult DS rang me and told his friend was wheezing and couldn't find his inhaler. He was on a train at the time. DS popped to my house as I had a spare new inhaler and drove to station with it to meet his friend. He said he was struggling to breathe and had to take 6 puffs. After about 20 minutes he felt much better. I wouldn't grudge anyone in need a puff of inhaler although I'd tell them to keep it after as I wouldn't want it back.

A child needing someone else’s inhaler shouldn’t have then joined in a sport activity.

I have absolutely no issue with inhalers being borrowed in emergencies - but then allowing a child they knew didn’t have their inhaler to take part in a sport activity isn’t right.

I’d ask them their asthma policies - but I would be doing it from the angle of making sure your child is safe going forward. No inhaler = no provocation. Needing an inhaler so much someone else’s was borrowed = no participation and parents contacted etc

Let’s hope your DC never forgets their inhaler or runs out when they’re desperate.
It’s life it can potentially happen. Never say never.

If it happened often I'd definately complain, but once, by a child who isn't in your DCs club, I wouldn't bother.

• Yes the child should have had his inhaler with him
• yes both the child's parent and the coach should have checked he did
• yes there is some risk is the child having a different inhaler

However in this one instance

• the child got the medication which presumably helped him
• the child is presumably ok
• your child is ok
• AND the kid doesn't go to your child's club so even if him and his parent are lax and he often doesn't have in inhaler, your child and your child's inhaler usually won't be there and won't be impacted!

When I was coaching I would not let anyone train who needed an inhaler unless they had it with them. From this I mean actually on their person or in their own trackside kit box. It being in the car, on the car park was not acceptable. Whilst this did not make me the most popular person I did stick to the rule strictly. Unfortunately there are too many parents who drop off their kids and leave the premises without checking and then they drive away with the inhaler in the car.

Contact them yes, and of course adults in charge should check everyone who needs an inhaler has it with them (and enforce this to parents) and still have a spare ready for use, but essentially, since none of that was in place and couldn't be changed, this was exactly the right call.

When it becomes medically necessary, and definitely in an emergency, whatever there is access to should be used and worried about later.

Those saying they'd use someone else's for their kids in a pinch, but not offer their kids' to anyone else who needed are awful.

Op isn’t saying she wouldn’t give someone who needed it an inhaler (as she actually did). But she’s absolutely right to be concerned about the policy of the club. They should not be letting someone train who doesn’t have their inhaler with them. What if no one had one. You’re right to raise your concerns.

I’d let them have it. But it sounds as if they didn’t make telling you about it a priority, which is the biggest issue here.

I have no intention of complaining!

My concern comes from a place of how unequipped they were to deal with a child requiring a reliever inhaler. What if my child with their inhaler wasn’t there?

I have asthma. I’ve lent my inhaler out a couple of times. It’s not ideal but if someone has forgotten theirs I’d rather lend than them suffer.

if you mention it to the club it’s likely they will bring in a new policy of all kids who have inhalers have to have them with them. It’s almost impossible to get spares out of GPs these days (presumably for financial reasons),

I guess the kid could wait until it’s low and then put it in his sports bag.

No, they MIGHT have access in an emergency because people with asthma should be bringing their inhalers with them.

The point is the club should a) have policies to check kids have their inhalers and contact parents when not urgent b) have an emergency inhaler

Of course anyone would lend an inhaler if needed - but the club's policies do need to be safe by 2026 standards - not just hoping another kid can lend their medication!

You are quite right to question it, that's how things improve.

A question, or a concern, is not a complaint.

If by “another squad” you mean a different team within your club then yes, absolutely raise it and check the policies re checking all children who need then have them with them (one day it could be yours who forgets!). If “another squad” means a different club then I don’t see what you can realistically do by raising it, assuming your happy with your club’s policies.

The OP's club should have an emergency inhaler to hand, regardless of who needs it.