where do school keep your child's inhalers?

[KatyPutTheCuttleOn]

If you have a child who needs an inhaler, where is kept?

To my mind it needs to be near the child at all times, however the school policy states that the inhalers are kept in a locked cupboard in the office. All staff have the key to the cupboard but if nobody is in the office then it is locked.

I keep the inhalers in a classroom cupboard. It is unlocked and the children know where they are and can get them quickly.

I prefer to have them close by.

All children keep their inhalers on them at our school. They are no use in a cupboard somewhere if a child is the other side of the playground at lunch time!
I'm guessing there are no staff members who are asthmatic at you DC's school, or they would understand the need to access inhalers quickly.
I would challenge this policy.

steeking thankfully it was a prospective school and not their school - they wouldn't be there if it was!

Perhaps ihearsounds if you caught a group of 6 year olds passing round a child's inhaler the need to keep meds out of reach might make more sense.

Not, that would mean that it should be explained to the children why you don't play with medicine.

I agree with ihearsounds

There would be no ill effects from a class of 6 year olds passing round someone's inhaler

It could be potentially life threatening if the inhaler if a child having an asthma attack was locked away.

Sirzy. My child's school used to have a spare inhaler to be guven in emegencues but the school nurse was told they couldn't do that any longer

They wrote to all parents who had signed consent saying they didn't agree with it but there hands were tied

I had to phone a parent last week whose dd had forgotten to bring her inhaler to drama class. I apologised saying I felt bad for getting her out knowing I had an inhaler in my own handbag. She understood but said she hoped common sense would prevail in a true emergency.

When I was chaperoning at a theatre someone came running past asking if anyone had an inhaler. I passed mine across - no questions asked. But this was an older teen who was redpondie for herself more. I know I broke the rules. But I didn't actually administer it - just put it within reach as such.

When your child was first prescribed with an inhaler did the gp or asthma nurse monitor for side effects ... vomiting headaches muscle cramps etc?

Dd was never diagnosed with asthma but displayed done asthma like symptoms so had an inhaler for a period of time

My own dr & asta nurse said the only ill effects of a mega overdose of ventolin was you might get a bit shaky or hyperactive but the risks of not having an inhaler accessible far outweighed the risk to any other child.

Suppose the mega overdose happens because other children get their hands on an inhaler left in a book bag or tray ... surely better to keep the inhaler handy but out of reach. I do understand the whole locking away thing is ridiculous but so is expecting very young children to be responsible for the actions of others

It doesn't take a lot for a child to understand not to play with something like that. They need to learn to be responsible and it certainly shouldn't stop children from taking some responsibility for their own medical condition. The child with asthma is going to be the one who knows when they need inhaler before anyone else.

It takes massive doses for any sort of side effects to take place anyway, and you would have to wonder how a child in primary school was so unsupervised that could happen...

It's quite hard to have a mega overdose if an inhaler. It would take quite a long time to have all those puffs.

And the dude effects if a mega overdose arnt even dangerous anyway.

perhaps not dangerous but still very frightening if you are a young child and those observing ... and really doesn't take that long to induce vomiting and shakes

and no it doesn't take an overdoes just an adverse reaction

Well if it frightens them it will stop them from being so daft in future.

I could understand your logic for something like an epipen which can be very dangerous is misused (although I still think that by late primary and certainly secondary school they should be carried by the child), but I certainly don't agree with you in relation to inhalers.

They are less likely to vomit from overdosing in ventolin as they are from eating too many sweets.

I don't agree that another child's stupidity should ever prevent a child from having their inhaler on them!! Not all schools are conciencious enough to check dates and quantities and even though dd isn't so bad any more I really wasbt comfortable with her not being able to have a back up in her bag.

It's not their fault they are asthmatic, and it's not their fault other kids don't behave and leave the kids stuff alone.

Sirzy epipens are apparently not dangerous if misused either, at least that is what the nurse said when she showed me how to use them - they can give you a headache if you didn't need it and make your heart race a little like it does after sugary sweets. Obviously there is the issue if a little darling decides to use it on another child though!

No one is suggesting that it should stop a child having their inhaler just sensible precautions to protect all children such as not having it in a book bag

Taking an inhaler correctly takes a lot of practice. It's highly unlikely that a young child who hasn't been shown, will be able to self administer an overdose.

The chances of them being able to do it unnoticed are probably (hopefully!) unlikely.

At my school all inhalers are kept in their classrooms. The children in my class generally keep them in their pockets (I teach KS2) as our classroom is up 6 flights of stairs so, if we are outside for PE/lunchtime, the inhaler is immediately available. Children with epipens or insulin tend to have a bumbag/similar for their main supply with the back-ups in strategic, unlocked but secure locations around the school.

in a canvas bag next to the classroom door. all inhalers, epipens etc (labelled of course) in there. whole bag is taken to outings, dinner.
locked in office out of school hours.