First Aid Policy

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School, Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset.  DT2 7LA

Telephone: 01300 341319

Cerne Abbas CE VC First School 

First Aid Policy

Aims 

The aims of our first aid policy are to: 

• Ensure the health and safety of all staff, pupils and visitors 

• Ensure that staff and governors are aware of their responsibilities with regards to health and safety 

• Provide a framework for responding to an incident and recording and reporting the outcomes 

Legislation and Guidance 

This policy is based on advice from the Department for Education on first aid in schools and health and safety in schools, and the following legislation: 

• The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, which state that employers must provide adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities to enable first aid to be administered to employees, and qualified first aid personnel 

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, which require employers to make an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees 

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to carry out risk assessments, make arrangements to implement necessary measures, and arrange for appropriate information and training 

• The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 

2013, which state that some accidents must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and set out the timeframe for this and how long records of such accidents must be kept 

• Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987, which set out rules on the retention of accident records 

Roles and Responsibilities 

Appointed person(s) and first aiders 

The Lead First Aider is responsible for management of the First Aid service to pupils, staff and visitors. The school’s appointed person is Andrea Schafer. 

Responsibilities include: 

• Acting as the main First Aid contact in school and taking charge when someone is injured or becomes ill 

• Liaising with outside medical agencies where required 

• Dealing with all enquiries of a First Aid nature including the management of the First Aid Room, First Aid equipment, wheelchairs and ordering of necessary First Aid kits and replacement kits. 

• Ensuring that an ambulance or other professional medical help is summoned when appropriate 

• Complying with Health & Safety regulations in accordance with accidents, reporting procedures and management systems in school 

• Being responsible for prescribed drugs from a Doctor for students and storage/security of the medicines in the drugs cabinet. To ensure that parental consent forms for the prescribed drugs are completed and filed accordingly 

• Being trained for specific medical conditions on how to use and administer specialist equipment such as Epipens and any other relevant issues. 

• Liaising with the School Nurse and organising health checks as required by the Local Health Authority. 

• Contacting the parents/carers of students to report incidents, sickness, accidents and emergencies. 

First aiders are trained and qualified to carry out the role and are responsible for: 

• Acting as first responders to any incidents; they will assess the situation where there is an injured or ill person, and provide immediate and appropriate treatment 

• Sending pupils home to recover, where necessary 
• Filling in an accident report on the same day, or as soon as is reasonably practicable, after an incident 
• Keeping their contact details up to date 

Our school’s first aiders and defibrillator trained staff lists are held in first aid. Their names will also be displayed prominently around the school. 

The defibrillator is kept in the school office by the medicine cabinet

The Governing Board 

The governing board has ultimate responsibility for health and safety matters in the school, but delegates operational matters to the Head Teacher who delegates the implementation of the policy to the Lead First Aider on a day to day basis.  

The Head Teacher

The Head Teacher is responsible for the implementation of this policy, including: 

• Ensuring that an appropriate number of trained first aid personnel are present in the school at all times  

• Ensuring that first aiders have an appropriate qualification, keep training up to date and remain competent to perform their role 

• Ensuring all staff are aware of first aid procedures 

• Ensuring appropriate risk assessments are completed and appropriate measures are put in place 

• Undertaking, or ensuring that managers undertake, risk assessments, as appropriate, and that appropriate measures are put in place 

• Ensuring that adequate space is available for catering to the medical needs of pupils 

• Reporting specified incidents to the HSE when necessary  

Staff 

School staff are responsible for: 

• Ensuring they follow first aid procedures 

• Ensuring they know who the first aiders in school are 

• Completing accident reports for all incidents they attend to where a first aider/appointed person is not called  

• Informing the Head Teacher or their line manager of any specific health conditions or first aid needs 

First Aid Procedures 

In-school procedures 

In the event of an accident resulting in injury: 

• The closest member of staff present will assess the seriousness of the injury and seek the assistance of a qualified first aider, if appropriate, who will provide the required first aid treatment 

• The first aider, if called, will assess the injury and decide if further assistance is needed from a colleague or the emergency services. They will remain on scene until help arrives 

• The first aider will also decide whether the injured person should be moved or placed in a recovery position 

• If the first aider judges that a pupil is too unwell to remain in school, parents or a representative nominated by the parent will be contacted and asked to collect their child. Upon their arrival, the first aider will update parents/representative and give suggestions of potential next steps. It is for the parents/representative to decide on the next course of action. 

• If emergency services are called, the relevant member of staff will seek to make contact with the parents or emergency contacts as soon is practically possible 

• The first aider/relevant member of staff will complete an accident report form on the same day or as soon as is reasonably practical after an incident resulting in an injury 

Off-site procedures 

When taking pupils off the school premises, staff will ensure they always have the following: 

• A mobile phone 

• A portable first aid kit  

• Information about the specific medical needs of pupils 

• Parents’ contact details 

Risk assessments will be completed by the relevant individual prior to any educational visit that necessitates taking pupils off school premises. 

There will always be at least one first aider on school trips and visits. 

First Aid Equipment 

A typical first aid kit in our school will include the following: 

• Regular and large bandages 

• Eye pad bandages  

• Triangular bandages 

• Adhesive tape 

• Disposable gloves 

• Antiseptic wipes 

• Plasters of assorted sizes 

• Scissors 

• Cold compresses 

• Burns dressings 

No medication is kept in first aid kits. 

First aid kits are stored in: 

• The main office - supplies are stored here

• All classrooms - it is the responsibility of the class TA to ensure that the first aid kits are fully stocked

• An outdoor bag for break/lunchtimes - it is the responsibility of lunchtime staff to make sure that the kit is fully stocked

Administering Medicines 

Parents/ Carers 

It is the responsibility of parents/carers to: 

• Inform the school of their child’s medical needs 

• Provide any prescribed medication in a container clearly labelled with the child’s name and dosage (non-prescribed medication will be administered according to the dosage instructions on the container for example Ibuprofen or Paracetamol, in line with the age guidance) 

• Collect and dispose of any medicines held in school at the end of each term / at the end of the condition if it is not an ongoing health condition. Medication not collected will be disposed of in the appropriate manner. 

• Ensure that medicines have not passed the expiry date. 

Parents must complete the medicine consent form before staff can administer medicine to a child. 

Storage 

All medicine will be kept in a dedicated cabinet or fridge and will be locked where necessary.  

Staff will complete and sign a record sheet each time medication is given to a child and these will be kept in the school medicine file. The sheets will record the following: 

• Name of student 

• Date and time of administration 

• Who supervised the administration 

• Dosage given 

• Name of medication 

Record-Keeping and Reporting 

First aid and accident record book 

• An accident form will be completed by the first aider/relevant member of staff on the same day or as soon as possible after an incident resulting in an injury 

• As much detail as possible should be supplied when reporting an accident, including all of the information included in the accident form provided by the first aider. 

• If an accident results in a hospital visit a copy of the accident report form will also be added to the pupil’s educational record by the first aider. 

• Records held in the first aid and accident book will be retained by the school for a minimum of 3 years, in accordance with regulation 25 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, and then securely disposed of. 

Reporting to the HSE 

The relevant school nominated member of staff will keep a record of any accident which results in a reportable injury, disease, or dangerous occurrence as defined in the RIDDOR 2013 legislation (regulations 4, 5, 6 and 7).  

Accidents which prevent the injured person from continuing their normal work for more than seven days (not counting the day of the accident but including weekends and other rest days) must be reported within 15 days of the accident. 

Reportable injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences include:  

• Death 

• Specified injuries, which are: 
  • Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes o Amputations 

• Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight 

• Any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs 

• Serious burns (including scalding)  

• Any scalping requiring hospital treatment 

• Any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia 

• Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours 

• Injuries where an employee is away from work or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 7 consecutive days (not including the day of the incident) 

• Where an accident leads to someone being taken to hospital 

• Near-miss events that do not result in an injury, but could have done. Examples of near miss events relevant to schools include, but are not limited to:  

• The collapse or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment 
• The accidental release of a biological agent likely to cause severe human illness 
• The accidental release or escape of any substance that may cause a serious injury or damage to health 
• An electrical short circuit or overload causing a fire or explosion o  

Information on how to make a RIDDOR report is available here:  

http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm  

 Notifying parents 

The relevant school nominated member of staff will inform parents of any accident or injury sustained by a pupil, and any first aid treatment given, on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable. 

Reporting to Ofsted and child protection agencies 

The relevant school nominated member of staff will notify Ofsted of any serious accident, illness or injury to, or death of, a pupil while in the school’s care. This will happen as soon as is reasonably practicable, and no later than 14 days after the incident. 

The relevant school nominated member of staff will also notify any relevant child protection agencies of any serious accident or injury to, or the death of, a pupil while in the school’s care. 

Governors will be notified of any of the above

Training 

All school staff are able to undertake first aid training if they would like to.  

All first aiders must have completed a training course, and must hold a valid certificate of competence to show this. The school will keep a register of all trained first aiders, what training they have received and when this is valid until. (Saved in a shared Medical folder online). This is the responsibility of the Lead First Aider who will update all relevant documentation.  

Staff are encouraged to renew their first aid training when it is no longer valid.  

Monitoring Arrangements 

This policy will be reviewed by the School Business Manager every 3 years. 

At every review, the policy will be approved by the Full Governing Body. 

This first aid policy is linked to the  

• Health and safety policy 
• Risk assessment policy