School opening windows and cold triggering asthma

[Burnt0utMum]

Got myself in a bit of a panic over this and don't want to act irrationally. Kids have only just gone back to school today and we've had a message about 11am asking that children are sent in a jumper or cardigan to school as they will be having the windows open due to covid guidance. DS is in year 1 and has been hospitalised twice in the past couple of months with difficulty breathing. He is on an asthma plan now and we believe the cold to be the main trigger for the attacks. I'm in the process of getting him a blue inhaler to be kept in school but prescriptions seem to be so slow at the moment so right now he doesn't have an inhaler at school. I am panicking that he could get very ill again today as it's freezing and has been snowing. I've asked the school to keep a close eye on him but I'm still concerned. AIBU? Is it fair to keep him in the cold despite the harm it can cause him? They told be he can wear extra layers if needed but the trigger is actually breathing in the cold air so layers is beside the point.

@AtomHeartMotherOfGod

YANBU - asthma needs to be taken seriously; if you are doubting because someone is trying to downplay it, they are not being very helpful.

It is a safeguarding issue to me - not in a melodramatic way but a literal one. I would email the Safeguarding lead (usually Head or Deputy) and raise it.

The snood advice seems good in the meantime - I hope it helps your DS.

SENDCo is more appropriate. And check out the policies section of the website for the Supporting Children with Medical Conditions/Accessibility Policy.

He still needs a reliever with him and one in Medical, though. Just like those with anaphylaxis need two pens on them and two in Medical.

My asthma can be cold triggered and have found wearing masks during covid has actually helped as you are breathing warmer air, so that may be a random benefit of covid masks! Who knew 😷 !

Cold was one of our main triggers too. Ask GP for inhalers for school and grandparents’ house, they’ll be happy to oblige.

Until he gets a second inhaler, his current one needs to go with him to and fro from school. I'm asthmatic and I never go anywhere without my inhaler. I agree with everyone above about having something over his mouth to warm the air. Can be a mask, scarf, anything.

@DrMadelineMaxwell

Lots of schools have inhalers that they can give to pupils if needed in an emergency. So if your dc has one at home and hasn't got a spare, if you dont want to keep his blue reliever in his bag for them to use, maybe discuss with them whether they have a school inhaler.

What???? No they don't and no member of staff would ever give a child an inhaler that wasn't prescribed for them and didn't have all the signed authorisations from parents!! 😳 It's crap, you'd have thought that after 2 years they might have better mitigations in schools rather than open the windows - in January. We've had hail and snow blowing in and work flying across the room. Not to mention cold kids and teacher. You need to take it up with HT and make sure he's kept away, wear plenty of easily removable layers etc and maybe speak to someone e at your doctors surgery about what to do for the best.

@woodlandarchitect

If the attacks aren’t managed by Ventolin then he needs something else prescribed for him ASAP. Does he have a nebuliser? Does he have a Clenil? What dose is it?

His asthma needs better management.

Also, he really does need something in place at school. It’s unfair to send him to school without anything.

This.

jocktamsonsbairn

DrMadelineMaxwell
Lots of schools have inhalers that they can give to pupils if needed in an emergency. So if your dc has one at home and hasn't got a spare, if you dont want to keep his blue reliever in his bag for them to use, maybe discuss with them whether they have a school inhaler.“

No, this just didn’t happen at our school.
Two of us in the class had asthmatic children. We asked if we could each sign a consent form allowing school to use each other’s inhalers in an emergency and they just wouldn’t have it.

It was an independent school with a live in matron and equipped medical room but they would not keep/administer inhalers. The child had to carry their own.

@jocktamsonsbairn

What???? No they don't and no member of staff would ever give a child an inhaler that wasn't prescribed for them and didn't have all the signed authorisations from parents!! 😳

You are out of date. Schools can hold a general spare blue inhaler for emergency use for any child in need. Yes, the child has to have permission from parents etc, but holding a general spare has been the case for some years now.

[quote DrMadelineMaxwell]@viques It has been allowed since 2014 for schools to be provided an emergency inhaler in school. You can find .gov advice for england and Wales online and info about it on the asthma UK website.
Whether schools individually have chosen to have one is up to them, which is maybe why you haven't heard of it. And why my above advice was for op to talk to their school to see if this was the case there. Every school in our local authority has one.[/quote]
Not just me that knows this.

No they don't and no member of staff would ever give a child an inhaler that wasn't prescribed for them and didn't have all the signed authorisations from parents

Another one.

'Ensure that every child with asthma in your school can get the basic care they need, with spare emergency inhalers. Schools are now allowed to purchase salbutamol inhalers without prescription for use in emergencies when a child with asthma cannot access their own inhaler. Schools are not required to hold any inhalers or spacers, however it is advised they should safely keep and administer spare emergency inhalers. Those that choose to keep an emergency inhaler should establish a policy or protocol for its use based on this guidance'

www.eurekadirect.co.uk/Medical-Consumables/Inhalers-For-Schools

The headteacher has to personally sign the order form, as they do for spare emergency adrenaline auto injectors.

@NeverDropYourMooncup

No they don't and no member of staff would ever give a child an inhaler that wasn't prescribed for them and didn't have all the signed authorisations from parents

Another one.

'Ensure that every child with asthma in your school can get the basic care they need, with spare emergency inhalers. Schools are now allowed to purchase salbutamol inhalers without prescription for use in emergencies when a child with asthma cannot access their own inhaler. Schools are not required to hold any inhalers or spacers, however it is advised they should safely keep and administer spare emergency inhalers. Those that choose to keep an emergency inhaler should establish a policy or protocol for its use based on this guidance'

www.eurekadirect.co.uk/Medical-Consumables/Inhalers-For-Schools

The headteacher has to personally sign the order form, as they do for spare emergency adrenaline auto injectors.

This is advice, not a directive. Staff are well within their rights to refuse to administer medication that’s not been prescribed.

@Burnt0utMum

I had to fill in an online prescription request form which they apparently take 3 working days to review. Then however long to send the prescription through to the pharmacy, I don't know. Then the pharmacy say it takes them 4 working days to process and get funny if I try to chase. I wish I'd requested it sooner but I didn't realise it was needed. I thought we had everything we needed when I spoke to the asthma nurse before Xmas.

Our local GP / pharmacy arrangement is like this too, I would have to order repeat medications at least two weeks in advance to make sure I didn't run out. I changed the default pharmacy to Tesco instead as they turn the prescriptions round the day they get them.

I'd check if the GP has sent the prescription over to the pharmacy and if they haven't, ask for it to go to your closest large supermarket or Boots and make this the default for future prescriptions.

I'm a chronic asthmatic. And YES, cold air does trigger asthma. It was a major issue for me when I was a kid. Especially at school. None of the teachers understood this or believed me. It was awful.

If the brown inhaler and ventolin aren't preventing him from having attacks that need hospital then he needs to be on more/different meds. Also our gp has a nebulizer that my dc3 has used when he had an asthma attack so that could be an alternative option to a and e. You can be prescribed a nebulizer to be used at home if needed too.

[quote MatildaJayne]@jocktamsonsbairn

What???? No they don't and no member of staff would ever give a child an inhaler that wasn't prescribed for them and didn't have all the signed authorisations from parents!! 😳

You are out of date. Schools can hold a general spare blue inhaler for emergency use for any child in need. Yes, the child has to have permission from parents etc, but holding a general spare has been the case for some years now.[/quote]
Errmmm, no I'm not! I just live in a different part of the U.K. from you. It's up to date in Scotland where I work in a school and know I can't give a child someone else's inhaler to use. Asthma U.K. are talking to the Scottish government about it but as things stand, and according to our rules on this I would not be allowed to use another child's inhaler on someone else.
I don't know which part of the U.K. the op is in and as it's not the case across the whole of the uk for schools to provide inhalers I would want them relying on it. Neither would I, as a parent, want my child's inhaler used (and possibly emptied) by all and sundry.

The inhaler isn’t shared between kids. It’s single use ie school have an inhaler, they need to use it in an emergency they then re-order.
I’m not sure why anyone would refuse to give a life saving medication which is very safe and is easily administered. Bonkers!

Cold air causes inflammatory changes and reduced mucus clearance in people without asthma too. A mask might help but cold air on the skin of the face also causes bronchoconstriction, it’s not just inhaling it.
Not convinced this is a good policy when you look at the risks as well as the benefits

I have a 7 year old with similar problems asthma pumps really do need to be kept in school for a start should be number one thing on asthma plan it is on my sons.
In the mornings when we leave for school
My ds wears a small child’s mask 😷 it’s thin but seems to stop the massive coughing fit we used to have when the cold hit his lungs don’t know if this would be possible for you.

This is advice, not a directive. Staff are well within their rights to refuse to administer medication that’s not been prescribed

Yes, I am aware of the law. However, 'staff' have to comply with the compulsory policy (ie, you have to have one) regarding the care of children with medical conditions. To refuse to administer an emergency inhaler to a known asthmatic child would be a breach of that policy, constitute discrimination, potentially put the school at risk of litigation - and cause the child harm to the point of death if there's a perfectly good inhaler bought for the purposes of saving life/buying time for an ambulance and the staff member says 'oh no, I don't fancy that because it's not got your name on the box, try and not die knowing there's salbutamol right in front of you and I'll phone your mum'.

Moreover, if you were to call 999 for an asthma attack or anaphylaxis and say the child is known to have these conditions but doesn't have their medication with them, the 999 operator would ask 'do you have an emergency inhaler/AAI?' - if you said yes but you had decided you didn't feel like it, the answer would be give them the sodding medication because that's exactly what it's there for.

OP, I understand how worrying this must be for you, but there is plenty you can do to help. Both my youngest DD and I use blue Ventolin inhalers, and she has needed to have an inhaler with her at all times since she was 4, so I have lots of practice with this particular issue!

If you need an inhaler as a matter of urgency and can't wait for the prescription, go into a Pharmacy and explain the situation and tell them you have requested the prescription and will bring it in for them when it arrives, but you need the inhaler now and they will usually let you have one.

I would request 3 more inhalers from the Surgery after the prescription for the one you have just requested arrives. I keep them everywhere - I've never thought "Gosh, how annoying to have so many inhalers everywhere", but I'd still rather that than "Gosh, my child is having an asthma attack and I can't find an inhaler". I have one in my car, my handbag, my bedside table, DD's school bag, DD's school office, DD's bedside table and 2 spares in my medical cabinet. Obviously you need to keep track of the use by dates on them, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

My DD and I both find the cold air triggers difficulty with our breathing and find that wearing a snood type mask helps to warm the air before we breathe it in, so might be worth trying with your little one. I really hope you manage to find a comfortable solution for your DS and that it is able to put your mind at ease whilst he's at school.

If you need an inhaler as a matter of urgency and can't wait for the prescription, go into a Pharmacy and explain the situation and tell them you have requested the prescription and will bring it in for them when it arrives, but you need the inhaler now and they will usually let you have one.

This.
I'm in Ireland, not the UK, but here Ventolin is listed as an emergency medication that pharmacists can supply withput prescription if necessary (you may need to get a prescription afterwards). This is very straightforward at your local pharmacy, but any pharmacy will do it. Just googled and it seems it may be similar in the uk if you can prove you've had a prescription before?

www.healthcentre.org.uk/pharmacy/ventolin-inhaler-for-emergencies.html

If you can't get a second one straightaway, then your DS needs to bring the one from home in and out to school with him (you'll have to talk to the school first).

I also second the advice to make sure that the school has an action plan and that the inhaler/spacer are kept near your son. Make sure it's not just the teacher who knows where it is, as there could be a sub in sometimes. Year 1 is quite young, but my older child has an inhaler and spacer in their schoolbag to use as needed and the teacher keeps another set as backup (plus allergy medication too in our case). I'd also get a light snood for your DS to wear to see if that helps him.

Best of luck with it all OP. Asthma is a worry, isn't it