Administering Medication Policy - only applicable for Holiday Club bookings.
If a child attending holiday club requires prescription medication of any kind, their parent or carer must complete a Permission to administer medicine form in advance. Staff at The Smiths Outdoors will not administer any medication without such prior written consent.
Ideally children should take their medication before arriving at the session. If this is not possible, children will be encouraged to take personal responsibility for their medication, if appropriate. If children carry their own medication (eg asthma inhalers), the staff will offer to keep the medication safe until required, this can be discussed and agreed before the start of the holiday club session. Inhalers must be labelled with the child’s name.
The Smiths Outdoors Instructors can only administer medication that has been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist. However, if a medicine contains aspirin we can only administer it if it has been prescribed by a doctor. All medication provided must have the prescription sticker attached which includes the child’s name, the date, the type of medicine and the dosage.
A designated staff member will be responsible for administering medication or for witnessing self-administration by the child. The designated person will record receipt of the medication on a Medication Log, will check that the medication is properly labelled, and will ensure that it is stored securely during the session.
Before any medication is given, the designated person will:
Check that The Smiths Outdoors has received written consent.
Ask another member of staff to witness that the correct dosage is given.
When the medication has been administered, the designated person must:
Record all relevant details on the Record of Medication Given form.
Ask the child’s parent or carer to sign the form to acknowledge that the medication has been given at the end of the session.
When the medication is returned to the child’s parent or carer, the designated person will record this on the Medication Log.
If a child refuses to take their medication, staff will not force them to do so. The manager and the child’s parent or carer will be notified, and the incident recorded on the Record of Medication Given.
A child’s parent or carer must complete a new Permission to Administer Medication form every time they book onto a holiday club session with The Smiths Outdoors if there are any changes to a child’s medication (including change of dosage or frequency).
If a child suffers from a long term medical condition then The Smiths Outdoors will ask the child’s parents to provide a medical care plan from their doctor, to clarify exactly what the symptoms and treatment are so that the Smiths Outdoors staff have a clear statement of the child’s medical requirements.