Health Care Needs Policy

1. Purpose

To ensure that Princes Hill Secondary College provides appropriate support to students with health care needs.

2. Policy Statement

To explain to Princes Hill Secondary College parents, carers, staff and students the processes and procedures in place to support students with health care needs at school.

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

3. Implementation

This policy should be read along with the following policies:

• Diabetes Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Administration of Medication Policy
• Anaphylaxis Policy
• Asthma Policy

Student Health Support Planning

At the time of student enrolment, parent/carers are requested to provide information about any student medical conditions. The details provided are captured in the CASES21 system and shared with relevant staff using the medical flags and medical details on the personal tab of the student profile in Compass. Parents/Carers are sent a Student Enrolment Information Form on a half yearly basis and requested to check and update the information to ensure student data is current and accurate.

The information captured in CASES21 and shared in Compass is adequate for most student health care needs. However, when a student has significant medical needs or requires considerable assistance or is deemed to require complex medical care (see definition below) or personal care support (see definition below), then a more formal Student Health Support Plan will be created and made available to the relevant staff.

The Student Health Support Plan will be prepared by the Student Wellbeing Coordinator (SWC) in consultation with the student, parents/carers and treating medical practitioners. In preparing the Student Health Support Plan, parents/carers should provide accurate information about the student’s condition(s) or health care needs, ideally documented by the student’s treating medical/health care practitioner on a Medical Advice Form. More condition specific forms are available on the Department Health Needs Policy resources page covering conditions such as:

• Acquired brain injury
• Cancer
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy

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 must have a Student Health Support Plan which provides for appropriate staff to undertake specific training to meet the student’s particular needs.

Princes Hill Secondary College 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, Princes Hill Secondary College 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. Consultation with the student’s medical practitioner will not occur without parent/carer consent unless required or authorised by law.

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
• On an annual basis

The Student Health Support Plan Procedure (staff access only) provides further detail for staff about the creation, updating, management and access to Student Health Support Plans.

Provision of Complex Medical Care at School

The Department does not expect or require teachers to provide complex medical care. When it is agreed that specialised medical procedures may be needed to enable a student to attend school then:

• designated school staff must receive specific training to allow them to meet the student’s individual health care need.
• the Student Health Support Plan should:
  • be guided by medical advice received by the student’s medical practitioner.
  • describe specific training requirements.
  • include procedures that make use of local medical services such as ambulances, local doctors, health centres, hospitals and community nurses when practical.

Management of Confidential Medical Information

Confidential medical information provided to Princes Hill Secondary College to support a student will be:

• Recorded on the student’s file in CASES21 and made available on the student Compass Personal tab and highlighted with applicable flags. Additional information may also be captured in Compass Chronicle entries.
• Shared with all relevant staff so that they are able to properly support students diagnosed with medical conditions and respond appropriately if necessary

4. Evaluation & Review

This policy will be reviewed every 4 years.

5. Definitions

Complex Medical Care - often requires school staff to undertake specific training to meet the student’s individual health needs. These needs cannot be addressed through basic first aid training and staff may be involved in:

• • Tracheostomy care
  • Seizure management
  • Medication by injection or rectal suppository
  • Administering suction
  • Tube feeding
  • Specialised medical procedures

Personal Care Support - is daily living support, usually provided by parents or carers. Students may require the provision of assistance for:

• • Toileting and personal hygiene
  • Eating and drinking
  • Transferring and positioning of the student

Students may need personal care support due to:

• • • Age
    • Developmental delay
    • Medical conditions
    • Short term circumstances (such as a student wearing a plaster cast)
    • Long term circumstances (such as complex medical care needs)

6. References

Diabetes Guidelines - Supporting Students With Type 1 Diabetes in Schools

Student Health Support Plan Procedure (staff access only)

7. Related Policies

Anaphylaxis Policy

Asthma Policy

First Aid Policy

Administration of Medication Policy

Department Policy and Advisory Library (PAL) links:

Health Care Needs