Diabetes forces Devon girl to move Plymouth schools

Status
Not open for further replies.
Becca

Becca

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent
I can't believe this only because it echos so much of what happened to us with Rose. Same age and everything. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8687448.stm

How can schools be allowed to get away with these things is beyond me. It sent shivers up my spine reading it because it was so close to home. This is what happened to us: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/c...es-how-schools-are-failing-some-children.html

I bet if one of the MPs children had this happen the legislation would be put in place!!

Makes me feel so sad
 
Back in the dark ages when I was that age one of my schoolmates was Type 1 and the school nurse looked after him. Do schools still have nurses on site?
 
AlisonM said:
Back in the dark ages when I was that age one of my schoolmates was Type 1 and the school nurse looked after him. Do schools still have nurses on site?
Click to expand...

Not in primary schools. This is where the problem lies, and it is a real dilemma, a medically trained member of staff would be an obvious (though expensive solution)
At primary level most teachers are concerned with the child (rather than teaching a subject) and do their best to cope in all sorts of situations but they are not trained and are not required to administer medicines. Some teachers may be able to cope after training, others not at all, though may nevertheless be very good teachers. (
There are many more conditions than diabetes with a wide variety of medical requirements. Modern treatments seem to require far more immediate hands on responses.
To give another example, away from diabetes, how many people on here would not have misgivings if asked to be prepared to administer rectal diazepam to a child with epilepsy?
 
HelenM said:
Not in primary schools. This is where the problem lies, and it is a real dilemma, a medically trained member of staff would be an obvious (though expensive solution)
At primary level most teachers are concerned with the child (rather than teaching a subject) and do their best to cope in all sorts of situations but they are not trained and are not required to administer medicines. Some teachers may be able to cope after training, others not at all, though may nevertheless be very good teachers. (
There are many more conditions than diabetes with a wide variety of medical requirements. Modern treatments seem to require far more immediate hands on responses.
To give another example, away from diabetes, how many people on here would not have misgivings if asked to be prepared to administer rectal diazepam to a child with epilepsy?
Click to expand...

Yes but schools do have a duty of care and under the Managing Medicines doc teachers/TAs etc. are not required to administer medicines but they are strongly advised to find staff or hire staff that will. I don't think it should be up to the teachers to do the care as they have enough to do but there should be in place TAs with funding to do the specific needs. So many heads are either scared or eager to opt put unfortunately.

And yes, i would have slight misgivings if i had to give medical care to another child, but once i had received the appropriate training, i was happy, the parents were happy etc and the care plans had been signed (and also any disclaimers signed) then yes i would do it. To quote Rose's school "every child has a right to education and if this is what it takes for her to access it then sobeit"
 
For once in my life I'm actually sorry we don't follow the American habit of suing the pants off organisations who fail in their duty of care.

It is inevitable that there will be a number of children in any given school with medical needs, whether it be asthma or diabetes. There is an obvious need to have somebody on staff to provide care, should it be needed (even if it means parents signing a limited power of attorney* giving the designated staff permission to act if necessary). If there is no such person then the school is in breach of it's duty of care and action is needed to ensure that the issue is addressed. Or is that too much like common sense?

* American schools routinely do this, why can't ours?
 
HelenM said:
Not in primary schools. This is where the problem lies, and it is a real dilemma, a medically trained member of staff would be an obvious (though expensive solution)
At primary level most teachers are concerned with the child (rather than teaching a subject) and do their best to cope in all sorts of situations but they are not trained and are not required to administer medicines. Some teachers may be able to cope after training, others not at all, though may nevertheless be very good teachers. (
There are many more conditions than diabetes with a wide variety of medical requirements. Modern treatments seem to require far more immediate hands on responses.
To give another example, away from diabetes, how many people on here would not have misgivings if asked to be prepared to administer rectal diazepam to a child with epilepsy?
Click to expand...

Most school nurses aren?t diabetes trained at all, so this training would have to take place anyway even if there was a school nurse. Also, up and down the country thousands of injections are given every day by non medical professionals ? just ordinary parents, relatives, carers, etc who have been trained. Insulin is almost always administered by a non healthcare professionals rarely by a medical proffessional. It?s not difficult to learn to do this.

It is more common for buccal midazolam to be given for epilepsy now rather than rectal diazepam. In trials Buccal midazolam was more effective than rectal diazepam for children presenting to hospital with acute seizures and was not associated with an increased incidence of respiratory depression. It is administered by giving the drug between the gums and the cheek. However schools do employ classroom assistants or the LA sometimes provides a carer. It would be less likely that a teacher would be trained to give emergency medication to a child with epilepsy. However it shouldnt matter what the treatment is needed. What matters if that the a school or LA ensure that there are sufficent trained staff in place willing and trained to do the care. The school and LA have a legal duty to provide this care. If there are no volunteers then the school/LA/PCT have to provide someone to give this care.

Too many people are playing pass the parcel which no one wants to be landed with. Schools cannot just pick and chose pupils that they want. Some come with medical needs........

Also, is usually not teachers who do the hands on diabetes care, but a classroom support assistant who has been trained. This training is given by the parents and the child's medical team. It?s much less common for a teacher to be involved in the hands on diabetes care. though of course they need to be trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of hypos and hypers.
 
In the USA they are protected by law, the kids that is. The schools have to abide by the 504's (or are they 505's never can remember). This is what needs to happen here, it needs to be law for kids with medical conditions in schoool, not just diabetes but all other chronic medical conditions. It is far far easier to get a statement of educational needs if you have learning difficulties than if you have medical needs but no learning difficulties that are obvious. So in my view it is obviously much more important to look after those with learning difficulties (and I'm not out to offend anyone here) than it is to keep safe in school the kids with real medical needs. This comes back to that poor boy Sam who died from asthma at school recently. All the children who have needs whether medical or learning difficulties should be able to obtain a statement.

It is not on, priorities are wrong in the UK, it really gets up my nose.
 
AlisonM said:
For once in my life I'm actually sorry we don't follow the American habit of suing the pants off organisations who fail in their duty of care.

It is inevitable that there will be a number of children in any given school with medical needs, whether it be asthma or diabetes. There is an obvious need to have somebody on staff to provide care, should it be needed (even if it means parents signing a limited power of attorney* giving the designated staff permission to act if necessary). If there is no such person then the school is in breach of it's duty of care and action is needed to ensure that the issue is addressed. Or is that too much like common sense?

* American schools routinely do this, why can't ours?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately schools in the USA still have problems which I read about frequently on a US parents forum. However they do have better rights than we do and schools can lose funding if they do not provide care. Whereas in the UK if a school will not comply, the LA do not have the legal power to enforce them to.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top