It is important that ALL families are aware of the guidelines surrounding the storage and administration of medications at school.
Department for Education First Aid and Medication Management Policies require schools to only store or supply medication to students if the following important conditions are met:
- a Medication Authority is completed by a Doctor and given to the school along with each and every separate medication supplied to the school (only one medication per Medication Authority)
- any medication requiring administration during school hours must be contained in its original pharmacy packaging, with the pharmacy label attached (including the student’s name) and be accompanied by the aforementioned Medication Authority
- any medication provided has not passed the expiry date listed on the medication (under no circumstances will expired medication be administered)
- an Action Plan or Care Plan must be provided for any medical condition a student may have that affects them at school
This includes but is not limited to:
- Prescription medications such as Antibiotics, Epipens, Asthma medication, etc.
- ‘Over the counter’ medications such as analgesics (panadol, heron etc), anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen, nurofen etc), as well as vitamins, supplements, topical creams/lotions, etc.
- Student ‘self-administered’ medication, for example, Asthma puffers stored in student bags.
Please note: Except for diagnosed conditions that require regular medication (asthma, allergies etc), most medical conditions/complaints will not require the administration of medication during school hours. For example, medication that is required to be taken 3 times per day can be taken before school, after school and at bedtime.
Parents will be contacted if medication is delivered to school that does not meet with requirements and will be required to come in to school to administer the medication personally.