School refused to give my son his prescribed medicine

[OnTheRoadToSomewhere]

Am I overreacting about this?

My son is really susceptible to chest infections whenever there's something going around. Well he's been hit again and has been prescribed Amoxicillin this weekend after a doctor's appointment.

He needs to take it 3 times a day evenly spaced across the day (we were suggested to give it him at mealtimes). His course of them will be over after Wednesday so it'll be one dose midday for them to give him.

I took the bottle and a spoon in a sealed food bag into school this morning and was turned away because school policy is they can only administer medicine where it's needed to be taken 4x a day or more. They suggested I give it him in the morning, then after school then at bedtime.

But that's not evenly spaced out.... 8am, then 4pm, then 7.30pm?

There's also no medical policy on their website at all so whatever she's referring to isn't public knowledge for parents.

Plus, he's already had this around the same time last year and they gave it him no issue.

Do I just get on with it or should I flag this?? I'm more annoyed at the lack of common sense and lack of policy than I am being told to just do it myself.

I work in a school and it's the same there, 3x daily we won't do, only if it's 4x the office will administer.

Could you bring it to school and do it just before he goes in and as he comes out so it more 8:30, 3.30?? Or we often have a grandparent who pops up to administer it at lunchtime if you want it done exactly evenly spaced? X

YABU.

In my experience schools won't give it and say to space it out of school time.

Any medication school needs to give there is a few forms to fill out. For antibiotics they won't do this.
And with 3 times a day you will need to space it out.

Or go in at lunchtime and give.

We always give it at 8am, 4pm when he gets home and 8pm. Never had issues.

Okay thanks everyone, I'll take it with us on the school run instead.

I guess I was spoilt last time!

Give first thing in morning 0730, take on school run give at 1530 then last dose before bed. It will be fine.

I'm pretty shocked by this tbh. The school are in loco parentis and should be prepared to administer prescribed medications at the time recommended by the HCP.

Should could would.

I'm sure they would do a lot of stuff if they had enough staff.

Unfortunately your argument doesn't work for them to be evenly spaced (every 8 hours). It could be 8am, 4pm, then wake him for a midnight dose. Or to evenly space a lunchtime dose would mean 4am, midday, 8pm.

Hopefully you can just space them out the best that you can. Wishing him well!

Wake him for a dose! Unless he's on the likes of vanc what doctor or nurse will tell a parent to do that 🙄space it through day/waking hours. I despair of people sometimes.

It takes 2 members of staff to give one child their medication. One to actually administer it and one to witness it and sign to say that it was done correctly.

Medication also has to be stored in a locked cupboard or a fridge that children can't access, so it can't be kept in the classroom.

So that's 2 members of staff needing to leave the classroom, go across the school to where the medication is stored, administer it, and then fill in the paperwork. And of course a third member of staff is then needed to keep an eye on the rest of the class during that time.

With funding cuts and staff shortages, we just can't do it for every child who needs antibiotics.

I only do medication at school if it's needed 4 times a day or more. It's much easier to do it at home if possible and the medication won't get lost or forgotten.

This scenario is very common, my school wouldn’t administer in this circumstances either.
Just space them out the best you can.

I'm pleased to see you've since updated to show you understand that you were being unreasonable.

I totally understand how annoying it is but this time of year large schools can have 30+ children on antibiotics at the same time. It's just not feasible for 3 doses a day, which can be spread out before school, straight after school and before bed.

Antibiotic administration is a pitta as it has to be correctly stored, witnessed, recorded and collection needs to he remembered at home time. By only doing it for those on 4 doses per day, it ensures there are usually only a small handful to do on each given day instead of 30+ kids queuing up for their dose.

Unless I read it wrong I don't think they are suggesting OP wakes her sleeping child for a dose. I think they're saying that the argument of him needing a dose at lunchtime for them to be evenly spaced would only work if there was a night time dose. So they're saying that it really doesn't matter whether the dose is at 12pm or 4pm, they will never be truly evenly spread over a 24 hour period anyway as the child is asleep for 10 hours+.

As long as they have 3 doses in a day and they're all at least a few hours apart I really don't think it matters tbh.

8am, 12pm, 8pm is no more even than 8am, 4pm, 8pm.

It allows the teacher/TA/receptionist to not give up her lunch break to administer and record a spoon of medicine, with the same effect on your child.

This is completely standard. Give it as suggested, morning, straight after school and before bed. You are making a fuss for no real reason.

Same at our school and no one seems to have an issue with 8.30, 3.30 and 8

Glad you have accepted YABU.

It is as @weefella said at 17:24 - it is just not practical when there are 14 classes (or more) or 30 dc, all with their own, individual needs, and no "spare" staff available to ensure medication is given at the right time, in the right dose for what could potentially be several dc across the school.

I wish we had this policy! It's a nightmare trying to fit in medication and look after 30 kids on your own with no TA.

3 adult DC here, all very prone to tonsillitis or ear infections so MANY courses of antibiotics like Amoxicillin requiring 3 doses a day as children. DH (now deceased) was a pharmacist - we always gave doses at 7.30, on return from school and at parents’ bedtime, squirted in with syringe if necessary.

This is the guidance given by the schools nursing service and is standard. No schools should be administering antibiotics unless it has to be taken four times a day.

Can you go in at lunchtime and give it to him? I've done this with my dd.

An even split timing wise is every 8 hours so you can quite easily avoid the 6/6.5 hour window he’s at school? Theyre not under an obligation to gove it unless he has some sort of medication plan set up and agreed, it’s your responsibility to go in and give it if you feel that strongly. Although you’re not actually splitting it evenly anyway?

My daughter's primary school always happy to help administer any medication as long as the relevant forms are completed. I don't think you are being unreasonable but as it's only a few days, it won't hurt to give it him at 3:30 when you collect.

How old is he? If 9 or 10 I'd just give him the bottle in his bag and tell him to take it in the toilets.