Northland School Board of Trustees

Sickness and First Aid Policy
 

Rationale:

The school is responsible for the welfare of students and staff while they are at school. Students and staff may require first aid attention at school if they are unwell or injured. The school may need to be able to contact parents/caregivers or next of kin quickly. The school is not the appropriate place long term for students or staff who are distressed, unwell or injured.

Objectives:

• To ensure processes are in place for the care and supervision of students who are distressed, unwell or injured.
• To ensure that appropriate resources and adequately trained staff are available to attend in the first instance to a distressed, unwell or injured student or staff member.
• To ensure that the school can contact a parent/caregiver or a family member as quickly as possible in the event that a student or staff member is unwell and needs to go home or needs professional medical assistance.
• To ensure that in the event of a medical emergency, health details or other relevant information held by the school relating to the student or staff member are quickly accessible.
• To ensure that injuries that are more than minor are attended to, recorded and reported to parents.
• To ensure that staff are aware of students or staff who have special health needs and that any specific requirements can be met. 
 

Guidelines:

• At least one first aid advisor with an appropriate current qualification will be appointed within the school to provide advice and assistance in the event that a student or staff member is distressed, unwell or injured.
• The person above (and substitute) has responsibility for all first aid supplies/cabinets/medical room.
• All teaching and support staff will be encouraged to attend first aid training and refresher courses at the school’s expense.
• First Aid supplies (as described in 13.5 of ‘Health & Safety in Schools: Guideline to the Health & Safety in Employment Act & Health & Safety Code of Practice for State and Integrated Schools’) will be available, accessible and stored safely and appropriately (refer 13.2 the Guideline). First aid supplies are replenished at regular intervals. All staff will be made aware of the location of first aid supplies.
• First aid kits will be taken on all school trips.
• At the discretion of the teacher, a student who seems distressed or unwell will be escorted to the office where his/her care will be the responsibility of the office staff. If the student remains unwell, his/her parent/caregiver will be contacted and asked to take the student home as soon as possible.
• The medical room will serve as a rest/casualty/isolation room as required.
• No medication will be given to children by staff without the permission of their parent/caregiver.
• Teachers on duty in the playground and teachers in their own classrooms will ensure that injuries are attended to and, if these are more than minor, are recorded in the accident register kept in the medical room.
• Parents will be contacted if a student’s injuries involve a serious knock to their head or are otherwise considered serious. These will be recorded in the accident register.
• A report to the Board will be made on any accidents of serious concern.
• If the first aid advisor considers a student should be seen by a doctor, he/she will contact the student’s parent/caregiver to discuss this.
• In the event of an emergency, emergency services will be contacted immediately following which a parent/caregiver will be contacted.
• In the event of a traumatic incident the Traumatic Incident Procedures will be followed (refer to the Manual).
• Staff will be encouraged to disclose to the School’s Privacy Officer (the Principal) and the Office Manager any personal potential health issues of which the school may need to be aware in case emergency treatment is necessary. This information would be kept in the strictest confidence.
• The school office will up-date medical records annually. Parents are responsible for providing and ensuring that medical and health information held by the school office is current.
• Parents will be regularly reminded that students who are unwell should not be sent to school and that if their child seems unwell at school they will be contacted and asked to take their child home.

Approved: 23 August 2010

Review Date: 2013