Medical Condition Policy

Policy Content

To support children’s wellbeing and manage specific healthcare needs, allergies, or relevant medical conditions, The Akidamy will work in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Regulations to ensure health-related policies and procedures are implemented. We aim to take every reasonable precaution to protect children’s health and safety by explicitly adhering to individual medical management and risk management plans and responding to any emergency situation should they arise.

National Quality Standard (NQS)

Quality Area 2: Children's Health and Safety

2.1	Health	Each child’s health and physical activity is supported and promoted.
2.1.1	Wellbeing and comfort	Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s needs for sleep, rest, and relaxation.
2.2	Safety	Each child is protected.
2.2.1	Supervision	At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.
2.2.2	Incident and emergency management	Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practiced, and implemented.

Purpose

The Education and Care Services National Regulations require approved providers to ensure services have policies and procedures in place for medical conditions. We aim to efficiently respond to and manage the medical conditions, health care needs, or allergies of children and staff, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children, staff, families, and visitors at The Akidamy.

Scope

This policy applies to children, families, staff, management, and visitors of The Akidamy.

Duty of Care

The Akidamy has a legal responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure the health needs of children enrolled in the school are met. This includes our responsibility to provide:

A safe environment for children free of foreseeable harm.
Adequate supervision of children at all times.

Implementation

We will involve all educators, families, and children in regular discussions about medical conditions and general health and wellbeing throughout our curriculum.

The Akidamy is committed to adhering to privacy and confidentiality procedures when dealing with individual health care needs, allergies, or relevant medical conditions, including having families provide verbal permission to display the child’s medical management plan in prominent positions within the School.

There are a number of concerns that must be considered when a child with a diagnosed health care need, allergy, or medical condition is enrolled at The Akidamy. Key procedures and strategies must be in place prior to the child commencing at the school to ensure their individual health, safety, and wellbeing.

It is imperative that all educators and volunteers at The Akidamy follow a child’s medical management plan in the event of an incident related to a child’s specific health care need, allergy, or medical condition.

Approved Provider/Management/Nominated Supervisor will:

Review all enrolment forms to identify any specific health care need, allergy, or medical condition.
Review existing enrolment forms and contact parents to confirm if the existing diagnosed health care need, allergy, or relevant medical condition still applies and whether any new needs have been diagnosed.
Provide parents with a copy of The Akidamy's Medical Conditions Policy and any other relevant medical conditions policy.
Ensure a child is not enrolled at, nor will attend The Akidamy without a medical management plan and prescribed medication by their medical practitioner. In particular, medication for life-threatening conditions such as asthma, anaphylaxis, or diabetes must be provided at the school each day (e.g., asthma inhalers, adrenaline auto-injection devices, or insulin).
Ensure educators, staff, and volunteers have knowledge and access to this policy and relevant health management policies.
Ensure educators, staff, and volunteers have a clear understanding of children’s individual health care needs, allergies, or relevant medical conditions that may be ongoing or acute/short-term in nature.
Provide new staff members with induction and ongoing training to assist managers, educators, and other staff effectively, and ensure children with medical management plans are clearly identified.
Consider all aspects of the operation of The Akidamy to ensure the inclusion of each child into the program.
Develop a communication plan in collaboration with the Nominated Supervisor/Responsible Person and lead educators to ensure communication between families and educators is ongoing and effective.
Provide staff with annual ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training to provide consistent and evidence-based approaches to the prevention, recognition, and emergency treatment of anaphylaxis (this is not mandated).
Ensure at least one staff member or Nominated Supervisor is in attendance at all times with a current accredited first aid certificate, emergency asthma management, and emergency anaphylaxis management certificate (as approved by ACECQA).
Ensure educators and staff have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities when caring for children with a diagnosed health care need, allergy, or relevant medical condition.
Ensure families provide required information on their child’s health care need, allergy, or relevant medical condition, including:
- Medication requirements.
- Allergies.
- Medical practitioner contact details.
- Medical management plan.
Develop a medical management plan in consultation with parents and the child’s medical practitioner and provide it to the school, and/or:
- Develop an individual Asthma or Anaphylaxis Action Plan in consultation with parents and the child’s medical practitioner (e.g., ASCIA or National Asthma Council of Australia).
- Develop an individual Diabetes Management Plan in consultation with parents and the child’s medical practitioner.
Inform educators and staff immediately about any changes to a child’s medical management plan and risk management plan.
Record any prescribed health information and retain copies of a medical management plan, anaphylaxis management plan, or asthma management plan in the child’s enrolment folder.
Ensure educators have access to emergency contact information for the child through SmartCentral.
Inform casual staff of children and staff members who have specific medical conditions, food allergies, the type of condition, or allergies.
Display a copy of the child’s medical management plan in an area not generally available to families and visitors but known to all staff and volunteers at The Akidamy.
Ensure the administration of medication record is accurately completed and signed by the educator and witness.
Ensure copies of children’s medical management plans and medication are taken on any excursion or emergency evacuation from the school.
Display a notice prominently in the main entrance of The Akidamy stating that a child diagnosed at risk of anaphylaxis is being cared for or educated at the school, and providing details of the allergen/s (regulation 173).
Implement a nut-free environment and clearly display signs in the front of The Akidamy.

Nominated Supervisor/Responsible Person/Educators will ensure:

In the event of a high-risk scenario where a child suffers from an allergic reaction, incident, situation, or event related to a medical condition, The Akidamy and staff will follow the child’s emergency medical management plan as per Regulation 90(1)(c)(ii).
The first aid responder will commence first aid measures immediately as per the child’s medical management plan.
Urgent medical attention from a registered medical practitioner is contacted if required.
An ambulance is called by dialing 000 if the child does not respond to initial treatment.
The nominated supervisor will contact the child’s parent/guardian or emergency contact when practicable, but as soon as possible.
The Director/Nominated Supervisor will ensure the Incident, Injury, Trauma, and Illness Record is completed in its entirety.
The Director/Nominated Supervisor will notify the regulatory authority (within 24 hours) in the event of a serious incident.

Cook and Food Handlers will ensure:

They keep up to date with professional training to help manage food allergies in ECEC services.
Practices and procedures are in place, and adhered to, in relation to safe food handling, preparation, and consumption of food.
Any changes to children’s medical management plans or risk minimisation plans are implemented immediately.

Families will ensure:

They provide management with accurate information about their child’s health needs, allergies, medical conditions, and medication requirements on the enrolment form.
The The Akidamy enrolment form is completed in its entirety, providing specific details about the child’s medical condition.
They provide The Akidamy with a medical management plan prior to enrolment of their child.
They notify The Akidamy if any changes are to occur to the medical management plan through the communication plan and/or meetings with the nominated supervisor.
They provide adequate supplies of the required medication and medical authorisation on the Administration of Medication Record.
They provide an updated copy of the child’s medical management plan annually or evidence from a medical practitioner to confirm the plan remains unchanged.
If the medical management plans have changed, they provide evidence from a medical practitioner to confirm the changes.
They provide enrolment documentation of any medical condition annually.
They provide consent for their child’s medical management plan to be displayed in The Akidamy.

Medical Management Plan

Any medical management plan provided by a child’s parents and/or registered medical practitioner should include the following:

Specific details of the diagnosed health care need, allergy, or relevant medication condition.
Supporting documentation (if required).
A recent photo of the child.
Current medication and dosage prescribed for the child.
If relevant, state what triggers the allergy or medical condition.
First aid/emergency response that may be required from The Akidamy.
Any medication that may be required to be administered in case of an emergency.
Further treatment or response if the child does not respond to the initial treatment.
When to contact an ambulance for assistance.
Contact details of the medical practitioner who signed the plan.
The date of when the plan should be reviewed.
A copy of the medical management plan will be displayed for educators and staff to see to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child, whilst ensuring the child’s privacy by displaying it only in an area generally only available to staff of The Akidamy.
The Akidamy must ensure the medical management plan remains current at all times.
Educators and staff are updated immediately about any changes to a child’s medical management plan.

Risk Minimisation Plan

All children with a diagnosed health care need, allergy, or relevant medical condition must have a risk minimisation plan in place (regulation 90(1)(c)).

The Director/Nominated Supervisor will arrange a meeting with the parents/guardian as soon as The Akidamy has been advised of the diagnosed health care need, allergy, or medical condition. During this meeting, a risk minimisation plan will be developed in consultation with the parent/guardian to ensure:

The risks relating to the child’s specific health care need, allergy, or medical condition are assessed and minimised.
Practices and procedures in relation to the safe handling, preparation, serving, and consumption of food are developed and implemented.
Parents/families are notified of any known allergens that pose a risk to a child and strategies for minimising the risk are developed and implemented.
Practices are developed and implemented to ensure that all staff members and volunteers can identify the child, the child’s medical management plan, and the location of the child’s medication.
The child does not attend The Akidamy without medication prescribed by the child’s medical practitioner in relation to the child’s specific health need, allergy, or medical condition.
Risk minimisation plan(s) are reviewed at least annually and/or revised with each change in the medical management plan in conjunction with parents/guardians.
All relevant information pertaining to the child’s health and medical condition is communicated to parents at the end of each day by educators.
Parents are notified by educators in advance of any special activities taking place such as celebrations, sporting events, or excursions, so plans of safe inclusion can be developed.
Appropriate hygiene practices are followed by educators when managing medical conditions in accordance with the Control of Infectious Diseases Policy.

Resources

Source

Australian Children’s Education & Care

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