School refusing to give antibiotics

[Slayerofmyth]

My daughter has warts on her arm that have become infected. She has been prescribed antibiotics four times a day in liquid form that have to be kept in fridge. She has one dose upon wakening but needs 2 more doses throughout school day. I work so can't get to school to give it, theres no one else. School are refusing to give it, I've said I'll keep her off then so I can administer ( taking time off work,), they say I'll get a fine for absence. What the heck am I supposed to do? Please advise.

@wanderbug

Our school certainly wouldn't agree to pre-filled syringes of medicine - no matter where they were stored. Any medication has to be in the original packaging, with the prescription label clearly visible so that the name and dosage could be checked.

Same.

The child I mentioned upthread once forgot to take his ADHD meds at home, so we phoned his parent and asked them to bring it in for him to take in school.

His older brother turned up at the school with a single tablet clenched in his hand

You think the office would agree to the improper storage of medication, and sit back whilst a 10 year old self administered it?? confused

I think I would suggest it as alternative to the parent being fined for the child missing 10 days of school in the hope they would stop being obstructive and difficult and do the logical thing which is to do what most other schools do and give the singledose which is all that's needed during school hours.

How does that address the unidentifiable medicine issue?

Label it and include the notes?

How does the staff member know that what’s in the syringe is the same as what’s in the “notes” (whatever the “notes” are)?

Nothing you’ve suggested would work. You cannot have handwritten labels on syringes full of medication in a child’s possession under any circumstances.

There’s some really poor advice on this thread. No it can’t be given with food and antibiotics need as even spacing as possible- as close to 6 hourly as possible here or they won’t work.
Your best bet is honestly to ring the GP tomorrow and ask for an alternative. There’s no point you complaining really as the school staff are not medically trained and are under no obligation to give them

We've had the same, medication in plastic bags with handwritten notes about dosage, out of date bottles of calpol sent in with a " just give her some when she needs it" medication prescribed for someone else, adhd medication in a child's pencil case😲

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

You think the office would agree to the improper storage of medication, and sit back whilst a 10 year old self administered it?? confused

I think I would suggest it as alternative to the parent being fined for the child missing 10 days of school in the hope they would stop being obstructive and difficult and do the logical thing which is to do what most other schools do and give the singledose which is all that's needed during school hours.

It’s not a single dose.

@Slayerofmyth

20:42PhillipPhillop

Tbf the school must have wondered what op was on about when she said she'd keep her dd off school! If op is having to take time off to administer the meds then she can quite easily come up at lunchtime and pick her up from school, no club needed. So an empty threat really and imo that's why the school responded as they did.

Actually I wasn't threatening anything. I simply stated that if they couldn't administer the antibiotics I would be forced to keep her off, at my mum's (who has dementia before you ask), because I cannot be off work. So you know what you can do with your opinion.

Not what you said in the op @Slayerofmyth

Is there an antibiotic that she could have twice a day instead of 4 times a day? My son (a few years ago) had an infection due to eczema and had a topic antibiotic but it was definitely twice a day. I would speak to the GP first. Although, his school will administer medications as long as prescribed by the doctor (we have to give them the original packaging with his name on the label and have to sign a form).

You absolutely can’t draw up individual doses in a syringe and ask someone to administer that, surely op knows that if they work in a pharmacy. There are so many things wrong with that suggestion!

Considering schools are trying to limit people coming in and out of the building due to Covid, I'm Shocked that they would want you going in to administer the meds

Thank goodness we are in a school that doesn’t shirk its responsibility and has been happy enough to give DD whatever medication she needed whenever she needed it.

But then, the guidance in Scotland is clear that schools shouldn’t refuse to administer medication.

Why are people so incapable of reading?
Child can’t take the medicine in to self administer, it’s NOT ALLOWED
It needs to be taken on an empty stomach
Medicine has to be kept refrigerated
Mum is a lone parent
She does not want to wake the child in the night; mum works and child has a very long school day, they need unbroken sleep

What a difficult situation! I can understand why the school can’t do it if they don’t have someone trained to do it then they could be liable if anything went wrong like they forgot to give a dose. But then again you’ve said they do administer other medication so they must have a school nurse or someone who does that. I also think it’s unreasonable for the school to fine you as she’d be off for medical reasons I find that very strange that they said they would fine you. If that’s the case get the Gp to write you a letter saying she has to stay off then they surely can’t fine you as it’s been ‘approved’ by the gp x

@Whataroyalannoyance - you don’t have to let a parent into school if they stand outside the reception window, their child goes out to them for their antibiotic, then the child is let back into school again...

OP, you say you work for a pharmacist? Just ask them how to manage it. Lots of 'best advice' is just that. So whilst things should be spaced out every 4 hours, not being able to do that will not be the end of the world. Just like 'do not use in pregnancy' often means it has not been tested in pregnant women.

Our school even give calpol providing its prescribed with the name and dosage on it.
Not if we just sent a bottle and said little Bobby has earache etc.

@Slayerofmyth - you still haven’t clarified whether you are expecting school to give your child a dose, then after-school club to give your child a dose, or whether you are only expecting one dose to be given, with you giving dose 3 at time of pick up. There is absolutely no obligation whatsoever for an after school club to give your child medicine, as thatis not school.

Not read all the replies, but WTF?!
As long as you are giving permission to administer her medication, what actually is the problem?!
How the fuck can you get an absence mark if they're refusing to give appropriate medicine on school grounds when you've said it's OK to?!
I'm never up for confrontation, but that would have me raging!

The school are being unreasonable, we had a similar situation where they wouldn't allow my DD to carry her epipen in secondary school. We sorted it eventually, but having to explain again and again that my child could die before they got it to her was exhausting. I hope you get it sorted.

There is an alternative to flucloxacillin that is administered twice daily.

21:12Walkaround

"@Slayerofmyth - you still haven’t clarified whether you are expecting school to give your child a dose, then after-school club to give your child a dose, or whether you are only expecting one dose to be given, with you giving dose 3 at time of pick up. There is absolutely no obligation whatsoever for an after school club to give your child medicine, as thatis not school."

What I was expecting was me to give first dose at 7.00am, drop off to breakfast club at 8.00am, then another dose at 11.am, an hour before lunch, them another at 3.00pm before after-school club where they have snacks about an hour later. You say that, but many other posters on here do give medication in school.

The flucloxacillin is not being evenly spaced if 2 doses are being given during school hours.

@Slayerofmyth - you are confusing the school building with school. After school club is not “school.”

@Warmduscher how on earth would a GP know what difficulties the op might have with giving the child medication? It's really not their job to babysit people like that.
When the op got the prescription she assumed the school would be able to administer it. You really think it's up to the gp to second guess that?
Antibiotics 4 times a day is a perfectly normal prescription that tonnes of kids take.

Will the school agree to one dose?

Then you can do 8 am, school at 2 pm, you at 8 pm and wake her up in the night at 2 am.

Or ask to finish early/do half days for a few days.

Then do 8 am 3pm(1 hour extra there) 9 pm 3 am 8 am .