The policy should include the name of the person with overall responsibility for effective policy implementation. Qualified medical treatment should be secured in emergencies at the earliest opportunity.Įvery school/college should establish a clear policy on supporting individual pupils with medical needs, which must be understood by staff, parents and pupils. In such emergencies, staff should do what is obviously necessary and appropriate to relieve extreme distress or prevent further and otherwise irreparable harm. In cases of accident and emergency teachers and other staff must always be prepared to help, as they and other school staff in charge of pupils have their general legal duty of care to act as any reasonably prudent parent would. Where an employer has issued guidelines which accord with the principles set out in this briefing, members should follow them carefully. ![]() It is essential that local authorities and other employers issue detailed policy guidelines to all schools, clarifying the areas of responsibility for medicines, together with the procedure to operate should there be a need for medication to be administered in school. The local authority, academy trust or other responsible body has principal responsibility for the safety and welfare of pupils. In such cases, support and assistance should be sought from the NEU Adviceline (England and Wales) on 03 or, in Northern Ireland from 028 9078 2020, The NEU will support members who do not wish to administer medicines or who feel that they are being unfairly pressurised to do so, whether teachers or support staff. While few schools benefit from a nurse on site, it is important that schools should be able to seek advice from a nurse where necessary. The employer should arrange training in collaboration with local health services, which will also be able to advise on further training needs. The NEU advises that teachers and support staff who do volunteer to administer medicines should not agree to do so without first receiving appropriate information and training. Generally, however, any staff member acting in accordance with agreed procedures would be regarded as acting in the interests of the employer and, since the employer would also be the subject of the action, the staff member would be effectively indemnified against personal liability by the rules of ‘vicarious liability’. There is consequently always the risk that the staff member might be named in a legal claim for negligence. Apart from the obvious distress to a staff member who makes an error, all those who agree to administer medicines take on a legal responsibility to do so correctly. intimate contact with the pupil is necessary.Īny decision on the part of a member of staff to volunteer to administer medicines must be a matter of individual choice and judgement.some technical or medical knowledge is required. ![]() the timing of its administration is crucial to the health of the child.Teachers and support staff may volunteer to administer medication but should be particularly wary about agreeing to administer medicines where: However, if they do not have a contractual requirement to administer medicines, then they cannot be made to do so. Support staff may, as part of their contract, have specific duties to administer medication. While teachers have a general legal duty of care to their pupils, this does not extend to a requirement to routinely administer medicines. This is a purely voluntary role and is recognised as such by the Government. There is no legal or contractual duty on teachers to administer medicine or to supervise a pupil taking it.
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