HOME     Newsletter          About Us      Calendar     Policies       Programs  

REFERENCE: ADMINISTRATION OF PRESCRIBED MEDICINES [Memo 86/158]                     

RATIONALE:

All students, including those with a medical condition requiring the administration of prescribed medication during the day, should be able to enrol in school where attendance is practicable and in their best interests.

If enrolment is granted or continued, attention to the child’s medical needs becomes part of the school’s duty of care for that child.

TOP

OUTCOMES:

1. All children are able to access education.

2. The person administering the medication is legally, fully covered.

3. All legal requirements [concerning documentation, storage, etc.] are adhered to.

TOP

GUIDELINES:

School staff administering medication to students as requested by the principal, and in accordance with the Department’s policy on prescribed medications are acting in the course of their employment.

Should a student be injured in some way as a result of the administration of medication by a member of staff, the staff member will not be personally liable.

In these circumstances the Department is fully liable for the actions of its employees.

TOP

IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Many medications are now available in a form which minimises or eliminates the need to provide students with medication during the school day. Parents are to be advised of the need to consult with medical practitioners in this regard when medication is being prescribed, or to determine if current medication regimes can be appropriately altered.

2. Parents should also be advised to supply quantities of medication, where possible, only on a daily basis and in an appropriate container clearly labelled with the student’s name, details of the medication and dosage, unless the medication is supplied in a form which renders this impractical and/or unsafe.

The Department’s policy contains an indemnity form to be completed and signed by parents who want their child to be administered with medication at school.

a] regular medication [Appendix D]

b] intermittent or emergency medication [Appendix E]

Within School Procedures

Staff should be careful in ensuring that the correct medication in the prescribed dosage is given to the student for whom it has been prescribed, and that the checking procedures detailed under "B. ADMINISTERING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION" at page 6 of the policy are adhered to. Complete Policy on ‘ADMINISTERING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION" is maintained in general office.

Storage of Prescribed Medications

Medication should be kept in a central location. In accordance with the Poisons Act 1966 Regulation, medications included in Schedule 8 of the Poisons List [including Ritalin] should be stored separately from all other goods except cash or documents in a securely locked separate room, cupboard or safe.

All other prescribed medications should be stored under similar conditions and accessed only by staff administering the medications.

TOP

HOME     Newsletter          About Us      Calendar     Policies       Programs