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Original poster

if your child was refused their inhaler at school when they requsted it..

84 replies

misdee · 03/05/2006 19:17

and your child went on to have a full-on asthma attack, needing neduliser and steroids, how would u tackle the school?

OP posts:
fransmom · 04/05/2006 10:16

i'm glad she is getting better, good luck for hte appointment tomorrow... though i think that flamethrowers are far too quick a way for them.......Grin maybe they should experience exactly what your dd went through hmmmmm. hope she feels a lot better soon love fm x

buffythenappyslayer · 04/05/2006 10:27

havent read whole thread,but ds2 completely missed out on going to nursey as they refused to give him his inhaler.thye said they were not qualified.when he started school (the nursery is within the school) his teacher drew up a plan for what she should do if he had an attack.her plan was to watch him,give me a ring to tell me what he was like,then she would give him his inhaler,then ring me and then if he hadnt improved she would ring an ambulance!i couldnt get it through to her that she should just give him it straight away.i tld our gp who went nuts,and typed out instructions for the teacher.then one day,ds said that his teacher had told him off for having his inhaler.turned out that at lunch time,he started wheezing.he went to the staff room and asked to have his inhaler.the bitch of a teacher told him to go and play!he went outside,still wheezing and found my dd1 who went into his classroom and got him his inhaler.the teacher told both of them off,and rang me saying 'if chloe is just going to give him it how can i follow the plan' my reply was 'ive youd have gone and given him it when he asked he wouldnt have had to get his sister to do it!'she replied,'well,i was eating my lunch'!!!!must have forgotten to tell ds that day to just go and collapse instead of bothering the teachers at lunchtime!

fransmom · 04/05/2006 10:29

Shock how can teachers (sorry, some) be so stupidly insensitive? how's your ds now buffy?

buffythenappyslayer · 04/05/2006 10:32

hes ok,well,he off school today with this sickness bug,but asthmawise,hes ok.i make him carry his inhaler bag around with him at school,despite the teacher saying to leave it in the classroom.(hes 6 so weve had to buy a scooby doo bag for it now as my old breast pump bag just wasnt good enough for him!!Grin)

kiskidee · 04/05/2006 10:37

find out from the LEA what are the procedures to making a FORMAL complaint.

request a brochure outlining each tier of complaint if you are initially dissatisfied with the school's handling.

put everything in writing. get supporting letter from her gp and notes from the hospital to back up your facts that she needed hospital treatment which could have been wholly avoided if your dd was just given the bloody inhaler.

if you go to a meeting w/ head teacher, write down whatever you want to say and document whatever transpires in the meeting.
good luck. its all hard work

Caligula · 04/05/2006 11:03

Oh for bloody fucks god's sake, I can't believe that these teachers are so fucking godawful stupid. I cannot, cannot get enough profanities out about how utterly fuckwitted these people are.

WHAT THE FUCK is this all about? Keeping inhalers in classrooms? Not coming out of staffrooms to deal with a wheezing child? WHO THE FUCK are these people who are in charge of our children? I had no idea it was possible to have such dangerously stupid people in charge of children.

Sorry for this rant, but I'm just so shocked by these horror stories and so glad I don't have an asthmatic child. I think this thread demonstrates an urgent need to raise awareness of the danger of asthma among people I until now have automatically assumed could be trusted to be informed about these things.

Obviously not. Jesus. Angry Shock

TwoToTango · 04/05/2006 11:36

I am totally gobsmacked that a teacher could refused an inhaler to to a child. Surely they have other children with asthma and can tell when they are in distress.
I am also suprised because nowadays if anything anyone in charge of children seems to have to be over cautious even if it just to cover themselves for health and safety etc.
Surely if they were not sure whether she should have it/need it they should have telephone you or her father for clarification.
I don't think you could make your point strongly enought to the Head.
Good luck with getting it sorted.

Original poster
misdee · 04/05/2006 12:08

the other mum told dd1 teacher what has happened. the teacher said 'oh she did have a bit of a cough' er no, the poor child was struggling to breathe. she has a stomache ache (another sign of an attack)and was almost in tears coming out of the door. she was struggling so much.

we have emptied two used inhalers overnight and this morning. have 2 new blue inhalers now.

OP posts:
jellyjelly · 04/05/2006 14:01

The other thing i found out on my first aid course what that teachers dont have to be first aid trained. I wish that would change, if they had done a course they might have known how serious it is. So glad your dd is alot better.

chapsmum · 04/05/2006 14:29

Misdee, that is absolutely unaccptable, ment to post on here yesterday but was so angry I knew it would be a long rant.

  1. ventolin is a life saving drug. If you had a child with the potential for anaphalaxis, the teacher would be trained to not only look for signs and symptoms, but also to administer medication. no you may not have your eppipen have a glass of water...Angry Asthma can be just as serious 2)if your DD is a brittle asthmatic and able to control her own medication why not let her take it to school with her. If you can trust your dd more than you can trust the teacher it seems like the most sensible thing to do If dd has an asthma attack she needs inh asap and should no be made to wait. 3)Make sure this teacher and the head fill out an incident form and look to see what they are going to do to make sure this situation does not happen again. I would suggest basic child first aid course from the teacher and also some education from the school nurses. which is what they are there for. It is the school nurses that educate about anaphalxis, diabetic hypo treatment etc. Surlely a bit of education about asthma is called for.
Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry Angry for you
Filyjonk · 04/05/2006 17:33

I would go to the LEA, personally.

The head teacher employed this idiot. S/he may also be motivated to push it under the carpet a little.

Can your dd carry her own meds in future? Or possibly have them in the head's office?

Can you not also contact OFSTED? (I know f all about schools, though, we are HEing.)

Original poster
misdee · 04/05/2006 17:41

I want dd1 to carry her meds with her, or atthe very least have them in her classroom not in a locked medicinial cupboard. I want the school to understand that being asthmatic doesnt just mean a wheeze. i am still unsure about dd1 returning to the school.

OP posts:
bundle · 04/05/2006 17:49

coudl you do as butterfly suggests & get a specialist asthma nurse to hold a workshop for teachers/assistants/dinner ladies, it would be a great training opportunity for the head as well as helping your dd and others Smile

Original poster
misdee · 04/05/2006 17:50

right now, i dont have the time or energy to arrange that.

OP posts:
jabberwocky · 04/05/2006 17:58

misdee this is so shocking. I have the coughing type of asthma and can so sympathize with your poor little dd. I don't know anything about the UK school system but it sounds like others have given some excellent advice. I hope you can get it sorted out for her.

Tortington · 04/05/2006 18:20

i dont have up to date stats, but i think its around 2000 that two thousand people a year DIE from asthma attacks or asthma related incidents.

now. i would write a letter stating the incident the neglect of care or your child in that school, i would require an official complains form and proceedure immediatley. then i could fill it in in my own time.

i would make this official -i would not speak to the head and forget about the official complaint.
make an official complaint - one that drives action from senior authoratitive figures.

Dreadingit · 04/05/2006 18:23

Haven't time to read all this as going out but my mate was a dinner nanny. One day a young girl started having an asthma attack and it took forever to get the right teacher who could go to the right cupboard to get the inhaler Sad My mate is also a sufferer so she was absolutely shitting.

I say WAS a dinner nanny as she couldn't hack it and this was the final straw.

sorry to hear this has happened misdee Sad

fransmom · 04/05/2006 22:26

sorry nut what is brittle asthma? have heard it mentioned once before but not entirely sure what it is.

edam · 04/05/2006 22:43

Fransmom, brittle asthma roughly means poorly controlled asthma ie taking prescribed medicine doesn't prevent/deal with attacks satisfactorily. So people end up taking trips into A&E.

Misdee, this is horrifying. Your poor dd. Absolutely inexcusable. They are morons.

The school is in loco parentis - legally it has the same duty of care to your child that a parent does. A parent who refused to give their child an inhaler would be investigated by social services. What on earth makes a teacher, of all people, think that you can withhold life-saving medicine from a child? This is so far beyond negligence, it's appalling. Angry

I think you need to put this in writing as well as having a face to face meeting. And then send it to the chair of your LEA as well as Ofsted. They need to realise how badly they have f*cked up before they kill someone.

chapsmum · 04/05/2006 22:45

brittle asthma is characterized by differing peak flows swingin from high to low, or by very sudden attacks out of the blue

edam · 04/05/2006 22:48

thanks chapsmum, you explained it much better than me!

chapsmum · 04/05/2006 22:50

sorry edam cross post think your your way was grand!

edam · 04/05/2006 22:52

No, yours was better than mine! [this could go round and round for ever, couldn't it?]

Original poster
misdee · 04/05/2006 22:52

looking back, i should'v e kicked up a fuss there and then about dd1 condition and demanded her school in halor. but all i cold think was i needed to get her home and call the GP.

OP posts:
alexsmum · 04/05/2006 22:53

i have just read the op to my dh who has asthma and is he is so outraged! how bloody stupid! and the other posters who have had similar experiences-i can't believe teachers can be so stupid! so much for them being in loco parentis!
hope your dd is feeling better misdee