Support staff give pupils medical aid without training

SUPPORT staff at some schools are being asked to administer medication and care for pupils’ medical needs without training – including tube feeding, a survey shows.

The work, for which the staff in Swansea get no training or extra pay, includes monitoring blood glucose levels, applying eczema cream and eye drops, as well as helping with inhalers and hearing equipment at mainstream schools.

Those working at special schools report tube feeding pupils unable to feed themselves.

The findings from a union survey also show support staff across all schools are regularly asked to help administer antibiotics, Ritalin, for attention deficit disorder, and Epipen for allergy relief.

A Unison spokesman said the picture was reflected across Wales and could put both pupils and staff at risk.

“More children than ever in mainstream education require specific health care, yet support staff receive little or no training in this area and many do not feel confident undertaking such an important task,” the union said in a statement.

Later this year, for the first time in Wales, school support staff in Swansea will work under new guidelines on the administration of medicines to children in their care.

Welcoming the move, the union Unison said support staff, including teaching assistants, have reported feeling obliged to administer medication in order to allow some children to come to school, despite it not being part of their job description.

“Generally, no additional payment is offered to staff for this work, which can include tube feeding of pupils, catheterisation to permit the passage of urine, monitoring blood glucose levels, applying eczema cream and eye drops, as well as helping with inhalers and hearing equipment,” the union said.

Unison branch secretary Chris Cooze said: “Schools cannot survive without support staff. They help to support Special Educational Needs children and those underperforming, help teachers to cope with big classes, release teachers for preparation time and help those with English as an Additional Language.

“Despite it not featuring in their terms and conditions they are called upon to provide intimate medical care to children on a daily basis. They haven’t all had proper training to administer medication and they have told us they don’t feel comfortable. The last thing we want is to put learners at risk.”

He said guidelines to be issued to Swansea schools from the autumn term follow Unison’s two-year campaign to get more protection to members of staff administering medication.

He said the document would provide consistency between schools, confirm administrating medication to pupils is done on a voluntary basis and that staff can choose not to do it if they don’t feel competent. It also means support staff will be covered by medical insurance.

Jess Turner, Unison Cymru/ Wales’ lead organiser for schools, said: “We want all schools across Wales to share this good practice and we will continue campaigning for additional payments for staff carrying out the administration of medicines.”

Unison’s survey in Swansea schools received 200 responses from support staff.

It showed that of those who responded:

58% did not feel completely confident administering medicines in their school;

96% administer medicines on a voluntary basis;

43% of those required to administer medicines have not received appropriate relevant training;

67% are required to support children with toileting needs (including changing soiled clothing, supervising self-catheterises and toilet training).

Unison said it knows of cases where parents have kept children at home when they know a teaching assistant will not be in school on a particular day.

In 2015 the union called on Swansea Council to recognise that many support staff administer medicines in schools and submitted a formal grievance on behalf of all Unison members who may be asked to administer medicines to pupils.

The council has now issued a new guidance document, “Managing medication in schools”, which is expected to be issued to all Swansea schools in the autumn.

A spokesman for Swansea Council said: “We have been working in partnership with the NHS to ensure that school support staff who may be asked to administer medicine to children receive full training and feel comfortable doing so.”