Medical Policy - Oswestry School

MEDICAL POLICY
This policy relates both to the senior school and to Bellan House and includes EYFS medical
provision.
Statement
The care of our pupils is paramount. With adequate information we endeavour to help our
pupils to remain healthy, enabling them to continue to access their education without
stigma or exclusion. In order for this to occur parents, pupils and staff need to work closely
together. The school has a visiting RGN (Registered General Nurse) 1 hour per day and has
direct access to a local G.P. to cover the medical needs of the members of the school. The
local emergency dentist will see boarding pupils in cases of emergency. There is an
arrangement with a counsellor who will visit the school on Thursday pm and can be met with
a prior appointment .
Provisions
There is a medical room at the Main School that is open during school hours : 0815 to 1630,
Monday to Friday. This contains a treatment room and a rest room for sick pupils is available
nearby. There is an office which is used as a counselling room. When the Medical
Coordinator is absent the School’s First Aiders are responsible for offering 1st Aid to pupils.
They will not administer medication apart from Paracetamol (at the Main School). The
School Surgery can be contacted directly by a mobile phone in the case of an emergency,
staff would also call 999.
At the Prep school the secretary is in charge of sick pupils. There is provision for a sick child
awaiting collection. Consent will be sought to administer Calpol from parents of Prep School
children. Parents are asked to sign to give permission for Calpol to be administered should
they not be contactable.
Qualifications
A number of teaching and secretarial staff hold a current Emergency First Aid Certificate. At
both schools several staff hold the First Aid at Work Certificate. At the Prep School two staff
also hold the Paediatric First Aid Certificate. Staff have training in the handling of asthma,
diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis. The school nurse will update staff on the above
conditions as required. First aid boxes are available around the school sites.
The Surgery nurses update regularly in order to maintain their registration.
Boarders
The Medical Coordinator has overall responsibility for the medical care of the boarders. All
boarders are registered with the surgery. The nurse is available to visit the school on
Monday and Friday lunch time 13.00 – 14.00 if required. Emergencies will be seen at the
surgery. Pupils are able see a female or male Doctor by attending the surgery, if they prefer.

The boarding house staff are responsible for the boarders out of school hours when the
Medical Coordinator is not available. The school nurses can be contacted at home for advice.
Regular dental checks should be carried out during the holidays with the family dentist. The
school can only deal with emergencies.
Medical Coordinator or Boarding staff will be advised of most medical problems and will
then advise parents as appropriate. See section on confidentiality below.
In the boarding houses all medicines should be kept in a locked cupboard and administered
by the house staff under a homely remedies protocol.
Gap students will be registered with the surgery. They will be asked to bring information on
any illnesses and vaccination details with them when they join the school.
Medical information is shared between the Prep school and boarding house for Prep
boarders.
Day Pupils
The Medical Coordinator will care for any sick pupils or any emergency. Parents will be
contacted if they deem this necessary. Day pupils can only return home once their parents
have been contacted. At the Prep school the secretary will care for any sick or injured pupils
and parents will be contacted if this is deemed necessary.
The Community First Responder can give emergency care. More serious injuries will be taken
to casualty, parents will be contacted immediately to take them, but if more serious the
pupil will be accompanied by a member of staff to meet the parents at casualty.
Personal medications
It is the schools policy that asthmatics and anaphylactics should carry their own medication.
At the Prep School all medication is kept in the school office or staffroom fridge. The inhalers
are taken with the children should they go off site.
Other prescribed medications should be left with the Medical Coordinator or school
secretary (Prep school) with an accompanying letter stating its name, use, dosage and times
to be administered. The container should be labelled with the pharmacist’s label. If a nonprescription
medicine, it should be labelled with the name of the medication, the date and
the child's name. All medicines kept at school are kept in a locked cupboard in the treatment
room at the Main School and in the school office at the Prep school site.
Records
Records are kept of any medication or treatment administered to a pupil or member of staff,
whilst under the care of the school. The Headmaster is aware of the system.
Records are kept of all major accidents in the accident book at both sites. Major and minor
accidents and illnesses are recorded in the day book with the medication administration.
The school has written protocols for the administration of medication and policies for
asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis. Consent form for medication is held at Prep
School.

Health checks and vaccinations.
On admission boarders' parents are asked to complete a questionnaire about the pupils past
medical history. They are asked to sign to give consent for investigations and treatment to
be carried out at the doctor's discretion. Day pupils' parents also are asked to agree to their
child being treated by a School Nurse or her deputy during her absence.
Boarders have a health check on admission to the school.
In October the boarders are offered an annual flu vaccination that is also made available to
the staff. Routine travel vaccinations, diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccines are also offered
by the school.
Confidentiality
The school Medical Coordinator and Senior Boarding Staff have a divided loyalty, firstly to
the pupils as patients and secondly to the school. Occasionally conflicts may occur between
maintaining confidentiality and the need for communication of information to those caring
for the pupils. Pupils should be aware that they can discuss any matter with the Medical
Coordinator or School Nurse in complete confidence. Any breach of that confidence would
be discussed with the pupil first and only if it was thought that the health of other pupils in
the school was at risk, or that it was in the pupils own interest to share the information.
Teachers’ responsibilities
Teachers should know of pupils with disabilities that might lead to their being placed at risk
in certain activities. E.g. defects of vision or hearing, epileptics, diabetics, significant
allergies, e.g. Nut allergy. This information is available either in the pupil files or on the PASS
database which is maintained by the Database Manager. Parents are made aware that
details from the medical questionnaire will be passed on to teaching staff on a need to know
basis.
Emergency procedures
In the case of a severe accident or incident at the Senior School and Bellan the Community
First Responder should be called, the situation will be assessed and an ambulance called
from there. The casualty will be accompanied to hospital by the Medical Coordinator/staff
member or parent if arrived already. At the Prep School a first aider would be called, the
situation assessed and an ambulance called, they would be accompanied by a member of
staff. In all cases parents would be contacted as soon as possible.
Infection Control
All trained staff are familiar with normal precautions for avoiding infection. Disposable
gloves are available and care is taken when dealing with spillage’s of blood and body fluids.
In line with the guidance from HPA pupils suffering from diahorrea will be asked not to
return to school until 48 hours from the last episode of diahorrea.
HIV and AIDS
The number of people in the school who will be made aware of a pupil who is infected with
HIV will be rigorously confined to those who need to know in order to ensure proper care of
the child and other pupils. The School follows the policy as explained in DfEE document HIV
and AIDS A guide for the education service – facts for teachers, lecturers and youth workers.

November 1991. Also the publication HIV in Schools – Good practice guide to supporting
Children infected or affected by HIV NCB 2005.
Key Medical Personnel
Medical Coordinator
Mrs E Nunnerley
First Aiders
Enid Nunnerley
Lisa Jones
Paula Bottomley
Jackie Urion
Dave Arnott (Community First Responder)
Matthew Morris
Joanne Holloway
Jason Till
Jackie Urion
Mike Rush
Sue Williams
Dave Furber
Robert Clark
Jane Jennings
Alison Bound
Catherine Eve
Maria Martoccia
Enid Nunnerley
Lisa Jones
Mike Markham (tennis coach)
Paediatric Trained First Aiders
Belinda Lambourn
Melanie Richards
Kim Amyes
Dave Arnott
P.T.O for annual check

Policy:
Original held
here:
Applies to:
Author(s):
Approved by:
Annual Review:
Medical Policy
t:\academic deputy stuff\policies\medical policy.docx
All pupils in both the senior and prep school
Mrs S.A. Nancini, Deputy Head (Pastoral)
Mrs S.A. Nancini, Deputy Head (Pastoral)
I certify that I have reviews this policy, and verify that, to the best of
my knowledge, it reflects current legislation and is in accordance with
the wishes of the Governing Body and Headmaster.
Jan 2012 SAN Jan 2013 Jan 2014
Reviewer to enter initials next to appropriate date