1.3.3 Medication

Overview

Some participants may need medication during an educational visit. Careful planning ensures that medical needs are managed safely while enabling all pupils to participate fully in visits.

Staff should follow the establishment’s medical conditions policy and ensure that appropriate information, consent and arrangements are in place before the visit.

Medical Information for Visits

For most routine day visits, medical information collected at the start of the academic year will normally be sufficient.

For more complex visits—such as residential, adventurous or overseas visits—updated medical information should be collected as part of visit-specific parental consent.

Always consider carefully individuals with new or variable medical needs.

Adults with parental responsibility should be asked to provide consent for emergency medical treatment, including procedures such as anaesthesia or blood transfusion if required. They should be informed that their wishes will be communicated to medical professionals if required.

Key Arrangements

When planning a visit, you should ensure the following arrangements are in place:

Parental Consent

Written parental consent is required for administering medication, including non-prescription medicines. Parents should indicate if there are medicines they do not wish their child to receive.

Carrying Medicationasthma or severe allergies

Participants with conditions such as should carry their own inhalers or adrenaline auto-injectors where appropriate. Schools may also carry spare emergency devices. Risk assess this.

Staff Awareness and Training

Staff should be trained and understand how to administer medication and use medical devices such as inhalers or adrenaline auto-injectors. They should also be familiar with individual healthcare plans where these exist.

Record Keeping and Notification

Any medication administered during a visit should be recorded and communicated to ensure transparency and accountability.

Confidentiality

Medical information must be handled sensitively and stored securely in line with data protection requirements.

Emergency Procedures

Staff should know how to respond to medical emergencies and how to contact emergency services if required.

Supporting Inclusion

Educational visits should be designed and planned so that pupils with medical conditions can participate wherever possible.

The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010 require schools to support pupils with medical needs and make reasonable adjustments where appropriate.

In some cases, additional support may be required, such as help from trained staff, volunteers or parents.

Managing Minor Ailments

Minor conditions such as headaches, insect bites, cuts, colds or period pain may occasionally require medication.

Parents/carers should provide information about any known conditions and medication requirements in advance, along with whether they consent to first aid treatment of this nature.

Medication should always be reputable, stored, transported and administered safely, and dosages must be recorded and appropriate for the participant.

Overseas Visits

When travelling abroad, additional checks may be needed. Some countries have specific rules regarding medicines.

You must ensure that:

• Medication is clearly labelled and prescribed where necessary
• Any controlled medicines are accompanied by the appropriate documentation
• Medication is packed in hand luggage if appropriate
• Over-the-counter medicines purchased abroad are only used if prescribed

Good planning, clear communication with parents and proper record keeping help ensure that participants’ medical needs are managed safely while allowing everyone to take part in educational visits.

FAQs

Can I give paracetamol to a child who has a headache? They say that this is what their Mum gives them at home.

Parents must give their consent before you or anyone else administers any medication or drugs. If no written consent has been gained in advance, you could contact the parents by phone to receive verbal, witnessed consent. Only use reputable medication, follow the dosage instructions and record the administration.

Is it OK to give a provider a document summarising the medical conditions of my class prior to a residential?

You should give the provider the information they need to support in keeping your group safe. Whatever the format, you should ensure that it is either destroyed at the end of the period for which it is needed or kept according to your school’s data handling policy.

We are going on a DofE expeditions and don’t have a secure place to store medication. What should we do?

You could store in a locked, anti-cut bag or box in the minibus. Consider if there are any temperature control requirements and who needs access, when.