REPS HEALTH CARE NEEDS POLICY
PURPOSE
To ensure that REPS provides appropriate support to students with health care needs.
OBJECTIVE
To explain to REPS parents, carers, staff and students the processes and procedures in place to support students with health care needs at school.
SCOPE
This policy applies to:
all staff, including casual relief staff and volunteers
all students who have been diagnosed with a health care need that may require support, monitoring or medication at school.
POLICY
This policy should be read with REPS’s First Aid, Administration of Medication, Anaphylaxis and Asthma policies [Schools should have an Asthma Policy in place if they have a student enrolled who has been diagnosed with asthma. Delete if your school does not have an Asthma Policy].
Student health support planning
In order to provide appropriate support to students at REPS who may need medical care or assistance, a Student Health Support Plan will be prepared by student wellbeing coordinator in consultation with the student, their parents, carers and treating medical practitioners.
Student Health Support plans help our school to assist students with:
· routine health care support needs, such as supervision or provision of medication
personal care support needs, such as assistance with personal hygiene, continence care, eating and drinking, transfers and positioning, and use of health-related equipment
emergency care needs, such as predictable emergency first aid associated with asthma, seizure or diabetes management.
Students with complex medical care needs, for example, tracheostomy care, seizure management or tube feeding, must have a Student Health Support Plan which provides for appropriate staff to undertake specific training to meet the student’s particular needs.
At enrolment or when a health care need is identified, parents/carers should provide accurate information about the student’s condition or health care needs, ideally documented by the student’s treating medical/health care practitioner on a Medical Advice Form (or relevant equivalent) Note:
REPS may invite parents and carers to attend a Student Support Group meeting to discuss the contents of a student’s Health Support Plan and assistance that the student may need at school or during school activities.
Where necessary, REPS may also request consent from parents and carers to consult with a student’s medical practitioners, to assist in preparing the plan and ensure that appropriate school staff understand the student’s needs.
Student Health Support Plans will be reviewed:
when updated information is received from the student’s medical practitioner
when the school, student or parents and carers have concerns with the support being provided to the student
if there are changes to the support being provided to the student, or
on an annual basis.
Management of confidential medical information
Confidential medical information provided to REPS to support a student will be:
recorded on the student’s file
shared with all relevant staff so that they are able to properly support students diagnosed with medical conditions and respond appropriately if necessary.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
School Policy and Advisory Guide:
Administration of Medication
REVIEW CYCLE
This policy was last updated on August 2020 and is scheduled for review in August 2024