Scope of the Policy

This policy outlines the organisation and management of First Aid/medication and sickness at Everest International School including the EYFS. The implementation of the policy is the responsibility of all teaching staff.

The policy is reviewed annually.

First Aid is emergency care given to an injured person (in order to minimise injury and future disability) before professional medical care is available. Teachers and other staff are expected to use their best endeavours at all times, particularly in emergencies, to secure the welfare of pupils in the same way that parents might be expected to act towards their children. In general, consequences of taking no action are likely to be more serious than those of trying to assist in an emergency.

Responsibilities

The responsibility for Health and Safety, which includes First Aid, rests with the Head. The Head is also responsible for putting the policy in place, including informing staff and parents.

All staff, and those parents with responsibility for children in school, should be aware of available First Aid personnel, facilities, and the location of First Aid kits and information.

First Aid provision must be available at all times, including during school trips, PE and at other times when the school facilities are used e.g., Progress Review Meetings.

FIRST AID TRAINING AND FACILITIES

• There are First Aid kits located in the Main Office and Medical Packs are green and immediately visible at all times. These kits are to be checked every half-term by the School Nurse. Staff are to inform the Office when stock needs replenishing.
• A defibrillator is kept in the Medical Room
• All Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the school are trained in ‘Paediatric First Aid’.
• Certificates and records of courses are held in the school office and staff are retrained as
• When appropriate, children are treated for sickness in the assigned medical

INJURIES

• Minor injuries are treated using first aid
• Children, who need ice packs, are monitored
• The child’s teacher will be
• Accident forms are completed and categorised

All EYFS parents are informed of any injury to their child on the same day as the injury occurred.

IN THE EVENT OF A HEAD INJURY

• Head injuries are assessed and treated
• Parents and the class teachers are informed
• After an assessment, appropriate action is
• A letter is sent home at the end of the
• Accident forms are completed and categorised

IN THE EVENT OF AN INJURY NEEDING HOSPITAL REFERRAL

• First Aid assessment is
• An ambulance is called if
• The Directorate and the class teacher are informed and advised of the action to be
• The parent/guardian is informed of the circumstances and the nature of the
• Where possible the parent/guardian should collect the child from school and transfer to hospital by their own
• If an ambulance is called and the parent/guardian is present, they will accompany the student in the If the parent is not present, the Class Teacher will accompany the child.
• The incident/accident must be recorded appropriately at the earliest
• Follow-up action, if needed, must be

Plastic gloves should be worn for the benefit of the casualty as well as the First Aider. All soiled materials should be wrapped and disposed of safely.

PROTOCOL FOR SENDING PUPILS HOME DUE TO ILLNESS

• Observe safe practice at all times for students and
• Trained First Aiders will assess students deemed
• Parents will be notified by telephone, informed about the nature of the illness and that collection is
• It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to arrange for the collection of the child, if not in person, then by a responsible
• Unwell students will be either kept in the Medical Room or with the class (if appropriate) until they have been
• Children must be supervised at all
• Students are not permitted to travel home alone by public transport or taxi when

PLAYGROUND SESSIONS/AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY SESSIONS

• There are always at least 2 members of the teaching staff on
• Administer first
• Contact the parent/guardian/class teacher if
• Record/report incident at the earliest

THE ISSUE OF MEDICATION

• Teaching Staff and Teaching Assistants may administer medication when supplied by a parent and where written permission for that particular medicine has been obtained from the child’s parent/carer. The parent writes a letter/email covering all the necessary medical

Prescription medicines should not be administered unless there is evidence that they have been prescribed by a doctor/ dentist/ nurse/pharmacist (medicines containing aspirin should only be given if prescribed by a doctor).

PROCEDURE FOR ADMINISTERING MEDICINES

• Parents are to sign and complete the
• The medication should be handed in and appropriately stored in the fridge or medical
• All medication brought in by parents/guardian should be clearly marked with the child’s name, the dosage, time to be administered and instructions of how to administer on the storage bag. This information must also be clearly written on the medication
• Medication should be administered with two members of staff

Dosages administered are recorded on the forms in the staff room/classroom/office. Name, date, time, medication, quantity and signature should be completed. Parents are informed of these details on the same day.

• Any refusal to take the medicine or reactions to the medicine will be
• No medication must be held by the
• Any unused individual child’s medicine will be returned to the parent at the end of each If it is not collected, parents will be informed that it will be disposed of at a local pharmacy.

THE ISSUE OF PARACETAMOL

When a child enters the school, the parent is asked to give permission for staff to administer Paracetamol if required. These medicines are supplied by the school.

Dosage: Children over the age of 6 may be given 5 -10ml orally with the consent of their parents.

Maximum Dose: The dose should not be repeated more frequently than every four hours.

• The administration of Paracetamol will be the responsibility of the appointed persons (Pediatric First Aiders).
• Paracetamol will be stored in a locked medicine cupboard in the medical room from where it will be Access to the cupboard will be for the appointed persons only.
• The Director is responsible for the purchasing of

The procedure for issuing Paracetamol is:

• Record the name of the pupil
• Age
• Check that the pupil is not taking or has not taken any medicine already
• Inform the pupil or parents that there should be a 4 hour interval before repeating the
• The following details will be recorded in the appropriate medication book kept in the Office:
• Date
• Time
• Dose and name of medication
• Name of Pupil
• If the child refuses the medication this must be documented and parents
• The medication/record book will be signed and dated by the person administering the

Any Paracetamol that has expired will be disposed of at the local pharmacy.

SHORT TERM MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Short-term conditions requiring medication are dealt with by liaising with the parents and completing the appropriate medical forms.

LONG TERM MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Long-term medical conditions are dealt with on an individual basis. Health professionals are involved as appropriate. Reviews are ongoing and children are closely monitored.

INFECTIOUS/CONTAGIOUS ILLNESSES

• Parents must inform the school as soon as possible if a child has an infectious
• Parents of children with infectious illnesses should follow the guidelines set by the Health Protection
• Children with impetigo, hand, foot and mouth or chickenpox should remain at home until the lesions/blisters are crusted or healed over (at least 48 hours).

DIARRHOEA AND VOMITING ILLNESS

We advise that no child should return to school for a minimum of 48 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.

We strongly recommend a period of 48 hours as advised by the UK Health Security Agency (HSA previously Public Health England U.K.)

All staff should follow basic hygiene procedure when dealing with spillage of body fluids and to avoid infection e.g.

• Use disposable rubber gloves
• Hand washing facilities

PARTICULAR MEDICAL CONDITIONS (asthma, epilepsy, diabetes)

• All parents complete a medical condition form on entry which is updated as
• Children with specific conditions are listed clearly by year group with medical conditions and
• If the child has an individual medical plan issued by the doctor, then the School needs a copy of this and it is, together with the child’s photo, clearly displayed in the relevant staff room/office.
• A Medical list of children with particular medical conditions and Allergies is created annually and updated This is handed out to allstaff.
• The list is also posted in the staffroom and circulated to all staff every new school year or when
• Medical conditions must be highlighted on Risk Assessments for off-site

Asthma

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten.

School Management

The students with asthma are identified from the Registration documents. The Director will liaise with the parents to ascertain the full extent of the condition and will request an Asthma Care Plan to be completed.

The school database will hold this information confidentially.

Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their asthma from an early age and are permitted to carry their own medication, apart from EYFS and Key Stage 1 students who keep

their inhalers in their classrooms and have easy access to it via their teacher or classroom assistant.

Parents must provide the school with spare inhalers, which will be kept with each pupil’s Asthma Care Plan.

LOCATION of Spare Inhalers

• Medical room

Parental Responsibilities

• Parents are responsible for supplying the medication and completing the care plan with Admin
• Reminders are sent by the school to parents prior to the expiry of any medication to facilitate

Students who do NOT carry life saving medication will not be permitted to attend school trips.

• It is vital the school receives all information regarding the pupil’s health We aim to maintain and promote well-being and health to all our students and staff.

Asthma Treatment

There are two types of treatment:

• Preventers – these inhalers are usually taken twice daily at When taken regularly they make the air passages less sensitive to the triggers that can start an attack. They take 10-15 days to work. This inhaler does not help an acute asthma attack and should not be kept at school.
• Relievers – these are the inhalers used in an acute attack to relieve the symptoms of If a student becomes breathless and wheezy or coughs continually or has a tight chest:

1. Keep It is treatable. Reassure and STAY CALM
2. Let them sit down in the position they find most comfortable
3. Do not make them lie Encourage upright position
4. Ensure the reliever inhaler (usually a blue container) is taken promptly and Take 2 puffs immediately
5. Encourage slow regular breaths (prevent crowding and ensure the student is safe)
6. If the symptoms improve the student can go back to class
7. If the symptoms have improved but not completely gone, give another dose of the inhaler (usually 2 puffs) and call the office to contact the
8. If the student does not have an inhaler with them, use their emergency one from the Medical

Signs of a severe asthma attack

Any of these signs means ‘severe’.

• Normal relief inhaler does not work
• The student cannot speak normally/in full sentences
• Blue tingeing around the mouth
• Pulse rate of 120 per minute or more
• Rapid breathing of 30 breaths per minute or more

If in ANY doubt call an ambulance 999

What to do in a severe asthma attack.

• Keep calm
• Keep using the relief inhaler -2 puffs (one puff at a time) every 2 minutes until symptoms Use a spacer if possible. They can take up to ten puffs. Do not worry about possible over-dosing
• If they do not start to feel better or you are worried, call an ambulance, and arrange for a member of staff to accompany the pupil to
• Contact the student’s parents to meet at the
• Continue to reassure
• If an ambulance does not arrive within 10 minutes and the pupil is still feeling unwell continue giving two puffs every 2 minutes
• Have the Asthma Care Plan ready to give to the ambulance

Try to make note of the time of the start of the attack and all symptoms to tell ambulance crew:

Staff must-

• Recognise that immediate access to the student’s reliever inhaler is vital and accessible at all
• Appropriate support to fully participate in all physical
• Recognise the need of children with
• Ensure that children with asthma participate fully in all aspects of school
• Reliever inhalers for the children are always taken to the dining
• If practitioners take the children out of the building for walks or school trips, reliever inhalers must always be on
• Children with asthma are included on the medical list both in the dining hall and Individual emergency treatment details are also clearly stated.
• Parents will be asked to ensure that their child’s inhaler is clearly labelled, in date and in good working
• Written parental consent must be given and recorded to enable practitioners to administer reliever inhaler

Guidance

All staff must have a clear basic understanding about asthma and the use of inhalers. All staff are aware of the procedures to follow should a child have an asthma attack.

Nuts

Parents have been asked to notify the school if their child suffers from any food allergy. Likewise, staff suffering from any such allergy should also alert the catering manager. Our caterers do not use any nuts in food preparation.

Everest International School has a NO NUT POLICY – they should not be brought into school / on trips / in cakes for cake sales etc.

CONTENTS OF FIRST AID KIT (WHICH ARE CHECKED REGULARLY BY THE FIRST AIDERS)

• A leaflet giving general advice on First Aid
• Individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings
• Antiseptic wipes
• Sterile eye pads
• Triangular bandages
• Medium sized (12x12cm) individually wrapped non-medicated wound dressings
• Disposable gloves
• Ice Packs
• Tuff-cut scissors

NB Equivalent items are acceptable Travelling First Aid

• Containers to be taken on ‘off site’ activities should contain the above but in smaller
• All the staff will be made aware of any emergency/special health requirements of individual
• All illness/allergy information is given to all teaching staff as well as the office and catering

THE RECORDING OF MEDICAL INFORMATION

• All day-to-day information of incidents and accidents of a pupil are recorded in the Medical Record Book in the School This information is kept secure and archived.
• Each day, parents/carers are informed of any accidents or incidents involving their
• An incident and accident report is presented to the Health and Safety Committee (Directorate) by the Head of Admim, at the end of each
• The frequency and nature of accidents and incidents are reviewed to see

if there is a pattern and whether there needs to be improvements to Health and Safety procedures and practice.