Lost controlled medication!

[mummybug355]

My child had their first settling in session today and I'm feeling so failed already and worried about how secondary education is going to go.
I'm so angry as well. They are on ADHD medication that is a controlled drug it was handed into reception this morning and they failed to give it to them and failed to check up on it when they mentioned to a teacher that they weren't given any. Upon talking to a teacher they have failed to find the meds and have no idea where it has gone. Who does this need reporting to? This is a class B drug without a prescription and they have no idea where it is! On day one I'm so scared about how failed my child will be if this is the start

@columnatedruinsdomino the protocol for the settling end days is different. They called everyone up by name for the medication in the hall and when my child queried that they haven't had their meds They were ignored. when they go full-time in September they go to reception and ask for the meds from the safe. If it was just my child, I would be perfectly fine with hirm taking the medication by themselves and taking it with them. But you can't trust other children not to take advantage and steal them.

God so much ignorance on this thread. ADHD meds have to be taken at a specific time of day. Children with medical conditions may need to be given treatment at school. Schools should have procedures to cope with this to allow all students to access their education.

OP, I think you do need to keep following up on this. It is a controlled drug and it isn’t good enough for them to just lose it. I’m not surprised you’re stressed and upset.

You literally don’t know what you’re talking about. Ritalin lasts about 4 hours, you have to have a lunchtime dose. People who pile on to bollock SN parents without having the basic courtesy to wonder if they might have 100% of the facts before being unpleasant are the curse of Mumsnet these days.

@mummybug355 they were probably a bit flustered as it was settling in day
It might be better next academic year but if possible go and see the nurse and then follow up with email

ideally where possible you want a good relationship with her so you do need to navigate around this (when we were in instant release our nurse was reminding me of when to bring new meds etc so you need her by your side )

it ll be fine OP, just one other adhd thing to manage 🙄

These are CONTROLLED medications, not a dose of Calpol! They should be locked away and double signed on administration. Ours are all kept in labelled boxes, locked in a medicine cabinet and signed in and out by two members of staff, the classroom staff have alert alarms for the time when the medication has to be taken and this can only be varied with agreement with the paediatrician!

That’s not how medication works. Drugs should be given at regular intervals to be effective.

One of the teachers or office staff has stolen it I bet. If it’s concerta or something similar peoplen can take it recreationally as it’s a stimulant. It’s addictive and if misused it can give effects like cocaine. I would be kicking up a huge stink until it’s found.

if you let your doctor know what has happened they should be able to do you an emergency script if you’ve run out.

schools being overworked isn’t an excuse for losing medication. I’m epileptic and prone to status epilepticus if seizures happen as they can when I’m unmedicated- imagine if they lost mine!

Probably a short acting one rather than concerta which is actually more prone for abuse

interesting comment about teachers never thought of that 😣

ah I see, my partner is on concerta for adhd, that’s the first one I thought of, but I know other ones are exist that can still be abused. Normally I wouldn’t be suspicious of teachers/ staff taking it, but as ADHD meds can be abused for a stimulant effect, and are addictive it’s the first thing I thought of sadly.

Also OP, as it’s addictive/ can be abused it’s likely your doctor will be asking where it’s gone (as presumably some gone missing may mean requesting your repeat prescription early) and maybe even contacting the school themselves. A class B drug going missing in an environment for children (even if locked away) is something that would warrant being looked into.

I never thought someone stole it but omg the implications of that. My main concern was I brought the fact that my DC needs medication on multiple occasions before today and they overlooked them after I did everything that was required and more. And to add to the fact they lost it. It's got huge implications that they don't keep them safe and it's to me a massive safeguarding issue and the meds had my address and my child's name.

Well, it’s a failure and should be investigated whatever happened. It’s not acceptable for critical medication to be lost.

I think there should be a clear plan for September, communicated to staff who will be teaching your child at the times when the medication needs to be given. The SENCo should take responsibility for disseminating the information and whoever is in charge of the office staff needs to know where it is and when it should be given.

That plan needs to be in writing and copies should be in the office, with his form tutor and head of year at least.

The medication should be in a locked cupboard and someone should have responsibility for the key and where to find it.

At my school-There is a member of staff in charge of medication.(usually from reception, generally the office manager) Controlled meds were kept in a locked cabinet, the meds officer and two others have access. Parents bring and sign them in, with a schedule of when they are dispensed. The students are expected to come to reception, they go in medical room, they are dispensed and taken there. Excess meds(end if year,when kids leave) are given back to parents. If any went missing, any investigation would involve medication members of staff and safeguarding.

Even if it wasn’t a class B it’s ridiculous they’ve lost it. It should be locked away with only 2 or 3 access to it. Like I said if they lost my epilepsy meds back when I was at school it could be life threatening.

it’s when you said what type of meds it was that automatically made me think someone may have taken it for their own use. Sadly with drugs that are stimulants they are extremely prone to abuse.

That is really, really unlikely. The last thing anybody on Reception would do is think 'I know, I'll just slip these into my bag and literally nobody will notice because it's a Transition Day and nobody will realise that I know the generic names of multiple medications'.

It's not anything like cocaine. It's speed. And the name/address would be completely irrelevant to any of this.

The most likely outcome is something like somebody put it with the current students' medications rather than with those for the incoming children (eg, near a fridge where diabetic medication had to be transferred immediately) - but even if it has been lost, it's incredibly unlikely that it will have been stolen.

regardless of what it is, their system has failed so it needs to be flagged up. Even if you had given calpol, they agreed to administer it so as a parent I would trust that. I would expect an investigation into what happened to establish who it was given to and what they did with it and where this went wrong.

And the name/address would be completely irrelevant to any of this.

Why irrelevant? Does OP and her child consent to their personal information being left lying around?

No, not really.

I said it gave effects similar to cocaine. I didnt say it was the same drug. But cocaine, amphetamine, all have stimulant effects and it’s not hard pressed to think someone who liked one may use another. The point is, the ADHD med can be abused by people who may enjoy the previous two mentioned drugs.

I’d say the same if it was for example a mild opioid like dihydrocodeine missing, though obviously it’s unlikely such a painkiller would be on school premises.

whether someone has taken it or it’s been genuinely moved somewhere else (which presumably they’ve looked where any medication is kept) it needs to be investigated. A doctor (as well as OP) wouldn’t look kindly on a class B drug not being minded properly.

Why would the name and address be irrelevant?

If it’s dexamphetamine it’s very much like cocaine; the latter is much more short lived, the former has best effect and so awful drug for abuse

school has failed in so many ways, and the worst being that it could be fatal for any kid getting hold of this with potential heart condition

GDPR breach!

But also OPs child might not want people knowing they have ADHD, whilst there is nothing wrong with having it they still have the right to medical privacy, if it has been left lying around all it takes is a quick google by another student to work out why they are taking the medicine. I wouldn’t leave a students name and address lying around on a scrap of paper because it’s private information, I wouldn’t leave students addresses open on the interactive board for others to see…. So why should I leave it lying around on a box of controlled medication?

It is also potentially addictive, on settling in days we have a lot more parents and carers entering reception for various reasons alongside other visitors to school, as much as it would be very coincidental there is always the small chance of it getting into the wrong hands if it’s been left on reception - desperate people do desperate things, they know it is something kept at that address. (I know this is very unlikely but school should have handled it properly so this couldn’t even be suggested as an outcome)

It’s interesting, I posted a couple of weeks back about how my school outed me for being epileptic without my consent (WAY back in 2000) and was told GDPR wasn’t a thing.

You’re absolutely right though. Drugs like cocaine and spreed and so addictive, and addicts aren’t always chavs loitering in a back alley as so many people think. It’s easy to hide an addiction. Normally I wouldn’t have automatically thought that, but when OP mentioned the type of drug it was the first thing I thought of. I never thought of the implications of a child (potentially with heart issues) picking it up and taking it which is horrifying.

Just realised you asked why it would be irrelevant! I read it as relevant.

Haha no worries. Your other points are very valid. Most school receptions tend to be behind (lockable) glass don’t they? Rather than a regular desk. If it was a regular desk then yeah a parent taking it would be possible I guess.

I always thought when meds were handed over they were locked away immediately.