Epipen and care plan

[JennyM]

Hi all

I have had an enquiry for an after school child who has a severe nut allergy and has an epipen.

Her Mum is coming to see me on Wednesday afternoon so I am trying to get myself sorted.

Does anyone have an example of a care plan that I could see? Or could you point me in the right direction for where I can find one?

Also, would I have to get training for the epipen and if so how can I get it?

Thank you so much in advance.

[jane5]

Mum should have a care plan and should sort out the training through the childs gp. I would have a look on google for some information but dont worry about anything else until you have talked to mum:thumbsup:

[JennyM]

Ok thanks so much Jane, that's great.

[JCrakers]

Get a care plan from Mum...detailing exactly what needs to be done and when.
Also the training should have been briefly covered in your first aid but I went to the drs and got the nurse to go through it.
I got a signed bit of paper saying I had been shown how to use one which I keep in my folder.
Ring the doctors surgery...mine had never heard of such a thing but I talked them into making me an appointment.

Becky

[lulubelle]

i have just taken on a child with a nut allergy needing epi pen and after useless contact with my local authority about what i needed to do etc i spoke to ofsted and got them to email this:
You must ensure you adhere to the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Childcare Register where appropriate. It is a specific legal requirement of the EYFS that providers must obtain prior written permission for each and every medicine from parents before any medication is given.



You should also pay regard to the EYFS statutory guidance. Whilst it is not a specific legal requirement to adhere to the statutory guidance you will be expected demonstrate how you continue to meet all the specific legal requirements if you choose not to. The EYFS statutory guidance states:



"Providers should ask parents about the medicines that their child needs to take and provide details of any changes to the prescription or the support required. If the administration of prescription medicines requires technical/medical knowledge then individual training should be provided for staff from a qualified health professional. Training should be specific to the individual child concerned."



For the purpose of clarity Ofsted understands 'prescription medicines' as referring to any medicines recommended by a nurse or pharmacist, or an ordered use of medication by prescription made by a doctor or dentist. Under this definition use of an Epi-pen or insulin would be considered prescription medication.



Our interpretation of this guidance is that childcare providers should be trained by a qualified health professional to administer medication such as epi-pens, insulin etc. It is for providers to decide what level of training is required they possess sufficient knowledge and skills to ensure the welfare of children. Training may be achieved through a standard first aid course or you may need to seek additional guidance by consulting a medical professional. Technical and medical guidance on general administration should come from health professionals rather than the child's parents.



The reference to training being specific to the individual child concerned we interpret to mean that you need to be aware of the medication needs of the individual child, such as dosage, when to administer, circumstances that may cause an allergic reaction etc. This does not mean that the child's own doctor or nurse has to provide the training on how to administer such medication. You should communicate with the parents to ensure that you follow similar procedures to the parents e.g. if giving an insulin injection how is the child prepared, soothed and comforted by parents as well as where the injection is given and how much.



If you feel you have sufficient understanding of how to administer the epi-pen/insulin from first aid training it may be sufficient to ask parents for training and advise specific to their child.

[JennyM]

Thank you all so much for your help.

Wish me luck, I am meeting with the Mum tomorrow afternoon and really need an after school child so fingers crossed it goes well!