School gave my daughter wrong dose of her sister's medicine

[aliena]

So I have 3 dd's at the same small school all of whom have extensive food allergies though the eldest (now 15) has outgrown most of hers. The other two have Piriton which is left with the school secretary. DD1 texted me to say that she had tingling lips, itchy throat and swollen lips. Concerned, I rang the school immediately and the secretary asked me how I knew and when I told her DD1 had texted me, she was not at all pleased and said she had already given her a spoonful of DD3's (age 6) piriton. I said that you need to give her two spoons. So in a huff she said well I will give her another spoon then! Meanwhile i phoned my Gp who was concerned and said that we must think about getting her an epipen. When my daughter came home, she told me that her swollen lip had in fact been noticed by the girls in the class AND by her teacher and hence she went to the secretary who "examined her" and told her she couldn't see the swollen lip, only "cold sores" (actually allergic urticaria). She then grudgingly gave her her younger sister's medicine and gave her it without checking the dose (clearly labelled on the bottle and box). My DD1 actually said to her i think it is 2 spoons since that is what she has seen me give her sister (DD2 who is 12) and the secretary without checking, snarled no it isn't. This is why my frightened daughter texted me. She know she had not been given enough. The dose she was given by the school would have been insufficient to halt the allergic reaction. Thank goodness my DD1 texted me.

I then emailed the school asking them me to call me if any of the girls have an allergic reaction in the future so that I could take them to our GP (we are v close to the school) and setting out the correct dosage for each child for future reference since this is not recorded anywhere by the school. I received no response.

Since then the secretary has been vile and aggressive to my eldest DDS (15 and 12) who are quiet, sensitive girls eg leaves her room and slams the door if they go in. They are so upset. And I'm frightened for my little one (aged 6) as well who has another 10 years at the school! I'm worried at what will happen if my girls are ill again. I don't want to give the secretary my DD1's epipen since I don't trust her with it. There is no school nurse. Only her.

She also won't pick up the phone if I call from my phone(she has caller ID) so i find myself calling from other phones and some of my emails apparently go into her spam folder and are therefore not responded to.

Also I don't know why she gave DD1 her sister's medicine without calling me to check that it was ok and dosage. I wish I could have taken DD1 to the GP straightaway that day so it all could have been recorded.

We have a history of anaphylaxsis in the family (me once and my brother several times).

I simply can't go to the head or the governors. Things will only get worse for my girls.

I don't care how wonderful the school is otherwise, they have failed one daughter and from your posts you have no confidence in their willingness to potentially save the lives of all three should it become necessary.

I think you should speak to the head about the bullying they are receiving from the secretary. Its not acceptable in any way, on any day, in any mood.

If it were my kids in this situation, I would move them to another school for their own safety, whether they liked it or not.

Just my 2c worth

'I think it's bloody disgusting that a school receptionist is in a position to 'decide' what child needs medical treatment.'

The reality is that someone does have to decide don't they? And in a school with no school nurse the secretary is often the appointed first aider.

The issue here that she made a bad decision - she should have called the parent first off and reassessed if she couldn't get hold of anyone. It sounds like the school have no written policy or procedure in place for this sort of thing and that the secretary neesds training or retraining. It defintely needs addressing with the head.

The school does need to have a clear policy on the administration of medicines. it is the responsibility of the governors and Head to make sure this in place. Staff doing so need to receive training, there is usually a form to fill in with instructions about how to give the medicine etc.
My dd has medicine given in the school day - but now she does it herself as she is Y6 so the role of the adult is just to check the dose and tick the form to confirm that the medicine has been taken.
There should be more than one person to supervise in case somebody is absent - I had a list of 3 people - school secretary/ parent support worker/ TA (firstaider).
At my dds school each child with a medical condition has a care plan and there details are passed on to all staff (including supply) who come into contact with your dc. The SENCO organises all this.
It really sounds to me as if your school is not doing enough to support your child and an urgent review is needed.

You say you simply can't go to teh Head or Governors, but I don't actually think you have a choice. It's too important to leave - and her behaviour was appalling. She needs to get her knuckles rapped and maybe some re-training. The school has a duty of care to all their pupils, and they're failing.

I find all this a bit odd tbh.

aliena you really need to consider if it will be any comfort knowing the school secretary is not being upset, when you are in A&E with a dd. I know that sounds harsh but really, what matters here?

If the secretary is able to actually single out your dd's to make them feel uncomfortable, well that is something else entirely.There is something really very wrong in the school that has such a culture. Is this what you are paying staff wages for?

I'd suggest a friendly but firm written letter - emails are too easy to loose in the ether - handed to the head in person. This letter needs to clearly document

*each child name and date of birth
*their allergy
*their potential symptoms
*the treatment required.
*who to call in case of an emergency

You hand this to the head. IMO the letter needs to say you understand that medicines can be confusing but you trust the school's medicine policy will guide all the staff. You look forward to recieveing a copy of the policy and hope that the chain of events that took place is never repeated.
You have enclosed the datails of the girls to try and clarify their needs for all the staff who may need to give them medicine.
Write you are simply interested in protecting your children and happy with other aspects of the school [assuming this is true], so hopefully this matter can be closed and your girls will never have cause to be reminded of it. Write the girls will have further medical reviews and you will keep the school up to date and informed. You might mention the possible introduction of the epi-pen, if only to impress on the head the potential seriousness of allergies.

I'd also suggest putting the medicine, spoon and a log book in a tupperware, one for each child and labelled as such, together with a copy of the above summary. Tell the head this is what you wish to happen. That might be ott, but it is also really fool proof. Whoever is faced with a dd who seems to be reacting, will ned to think who they are, what they need and then write it down as evidence. Good tight practice really.

I think that seems fair and at least you know the school will be well informed and your girls should recieve what they need when they need it. I
know it's really hard to be this assertive, I had to do a bit of it with my dd and I found in hard. In realty, it was my own issues that made it hard. When I went into school they were lovely, supportive and entirely understanding. I had decided they were one thing, they were in fact another. I still think that detailed and personalised letters are essential on something as potentially serious as this.

excellent post treedelivery

Don't spell receive or receiving like that though Ha haaaaa!

Does she need an epi pen? or will a blister pack of piriton in her bag not help?(why are they on the syrup?)
Why did the school give your DD medicine that was there for her sister? Do they not each have to have a different bottle with the dosage clearly stated?

To defend the secretary a little bit - it's not up to her to distinguish between cold sores and ulcers from allergies - they can sometimes look the same.

Aliena get a grip.
Go and see head. While you are at it you need to tell her about your daughters lives being made a misery over this.
Someone who thinks an allergic reaction is cold sores should NOT repeat NOT be put in charge of deciding whether medicine is due for a life-treatening condition. And she should NOT be allowed to vent her fury on the children.
YOu need to go in there right now and be a tiger mother.

I don't mean to be rude in my previous post. I just am a bit frustrated that you are also intimidated by this woman and thus allowing her reign of terror to carry on, even when she puts pupils at risk.

I am a registered nurse of 20 years (ICU, Medsurg and Hospice) and the for past 12 I have been working for our small-town school district (and prn for Hospice).

Just know, that a parent should NEVER have to feel uncomfortable about having to address a concern regarding their child. I am a mom first and foremost and I can't tell you how much being a mom has helped me with my job. If anyone ever feels nervous or concerned about having their child at school because of the fear that their child's healthcare situation may not be handled correctly and attentively, they should immediately meet with that school's nurse (if they are fortunate enough to have one) and/or the school's principal. If you don't walk away feeling 100% safe, then meet with the superintendent of your child's school district.

I can't stress the importance of having a school nurse or medical representative at each child's school. The experience and safety precautions that school nurses provide are priceless and most school nurses work for schools because they have the desire to make a safe environment for kids....because it's definitely not for the pay. I took a $22,000/year cut in pay to be a nurse for my daughter's school district as she was having severe seizures and I didn't feel comfortable either......I can now say that our district nurses go above and beyond the call of duty for our students, parents and staff and I will always be seeking ways to improve. Parents information and stories like this are the best tools which can be used to ensure healthcare is available for all students.....don't keep quiet...... you and your children deserve safe, and caring attention (as do all students/parents). I hope things get better for you and for any other parents/students who may be facing the same upset.
newhopemom

One thing I would like to add to my comment. I have been there when I have felt that I didn't want to "stir" things up out of fear that I or my children would suffer the wrath of it.

Deep down though, through working with a school district this long, most supervisors truly don't know when situations like this occur and they want their district's students to be safe. Students are not just numbers and if you ever feel like you are just that, keep talking until you find the right person. It is much better (and you will feel much better) knowing your children are getting good healthcare while at school. It's much better to take the chance of making someone upset than it would be to have something devastating happen to your child.

If the school secretary doesn't treat you better and you still don't feel you are getting safe results, it's time for that staff member to be removed of that responsibility (or job).

On school secretary's behalf though..... I have seen the multiple, multiple responsibilities that school secretaries have.....assisting supervisors, teachers, parents, delivery persons, phone calls, etc. It is a very tough job and honestly most secretaries that I know of, don't feel like they should have to perform medical procedures...and honestly, they shouldn't have to if they don't want to.

Your story is a great example of why I tell administrators "If someone doesn't want to be trained for the emergency procedure you are telling them they must be trained for, I WILL NOT TRAIN THEM AND THEY SHOULDN"T HAVE TO HANDLE THOSE SITUATIONS!" Why? because they may not feel comfortable and or may lack the confidence, which to me only decreases the chances of good results....I mean, do I want someone to take care of my daughter's seizure and give her rectal gel if the person is mad that they have to do it? Kids deserve the best and school nurses can assure that the persons they do train (should the nurse be unavailable) are the best available.

If the school doesn't have a medicines policy in place they will fail their next inspection, as it is a welfare and safeguarding issue. You might like to point that out as well.

As a mother of a child at an small independent school that is 3 to 18 it doesn't have to be like your experience. Our school has a full time nurse and if she is off an agency nurse is brought in. We take all medicines to the school nurse each day they are required and fill in a form for administration dosage how often etc and sign giving nurse permission to administer. We also fill in a health form every term detailing allergies etc and permission to administer calpol and piriton you can opt out of either or both. DD has benadryl daily through the summer so we are opted out of piriton.
My second concern is that our school has a respect policy that all staff,children and parents accept and this forms part of the school's bullying policy.
Personally the attitude you and your girls have received would have me looking for another school. I would be leaving without a terms notice and citing failure in duty of care to not pay a terms fees.

PaperView- Piriton syrup acts much faster than a Piriton pill. My 55 year old husband, who is extremely allergic to sesame, has to carry round a small bottle of it as well as an Epipen.

The school should have a medicines policy as this is a regulatory requirement.

It should be along the lines of having written permission from parents with dosage, that records are kept and the person responsible is competent.

In our school, we collect that information at the beginning of each school year. Anyone with medical issues has their photo and first aid requirements posted in the staff room.

Those girls with severe allergies carry their epipens and piriton with them, as well as having spares in the school office.

This is a tricky situation as you say you have not given written permission, but if a child presents in an emergency, then there is a time factor to consider. I guess you need to consider whether you are more angry with her giving the medicine at all or not giving her enough. They do need to tighten up procedures, it seems.

I would not make a fuss over her alleged interpersonal skills. The old saying, "don't believe everything they tell you about school and we won't believe everything they tell us about home" is very useful.

As well as providing accurate information about your DD, you should be able to speak to one of the senior members of staff responsible for this area. Have a look on the school website to see if their policies are there (this is considered good practice by the ISI).