First Aid and Healthcare Support at The Hazeley Academy

Our Academy Matron is Sarah Winkfield, who is on site during the Academy hours to deal with emergencies and children who feel unwell. The Academy has a designated medical room, run by our Academy Matron. She is supported in first aid duties by twenty five staff, (teachers and support staff) all of whom hold either the Emergency First Aid or First Aid at Work qualifications.

Within the Academy, Miss Winkfield and her team offer basic first aid to students, as well as supporting students and their families with the management of day-to-day, long-term and short-term medical conditions with Individual Health Care Plans.  Where an injury or condition goes beyond minor first aid, the student is referred to A&E, the NHS Walk-In centre or their GP. In these circumstances, parents/carers will be contacted.  It is important, therefore, that the Academy is provided with up-to-date contact information at all times.

Please note that should your child suffer an illness or accident at home before coming to the Academy, you should not send them in unless they are well enough to manage the day ahead.  If your child experiences vomiting or diarrhoea then they should not return to school for 48 hours following their last episode.  If your child complains that they felt ill before coming in to the Academy, we will assume that in your judgement your child is well enough to attend.  However we will not, of course, ignore any student whose condition has clearly deteriorated.

Students who are unwell during the Academy day

• Students displaying minor or mild symptoms will be given a short period of time in which to recover. Their status will be regularly monitored while they are in the medical room. In the case of minor or mild symptoms, and after a period of recuperation has expired, a judgement will be made as to whether students return to class or parents need to be contacted.
• Medical ailments (aches, pains etc) will be recorded in the medical book while injuries arising from an accident will be recorded in the accident book held in the Finance Office.
• No medication will be administered under any of the above circumstances, without prior permission of the parent/carer.

Accident/injury sustained whilst at the Academy

In the event of a serious medical incident/accident, the emergency services will be called promptly, and parents/nominated emergency contact(s) advised.

If a student is incapacitated ie. arm in sling/on crutches, parents and/or student are asked to report to the Academy Matron at reception to undertake a risk assessment upon return to the Academy.

Procedure for informing the Academy of injury sustained out of the Academy hours

Should your child injure him/herself out of Academy hours, please inform the Academy Matron upon return to the Academy for a risk assessment.

Procedure for informing the Academy of post surgery or critical illness care

If your child has been critically ill or has undergone surgery, please advise Academy Matron so that we can ensure that your child has the best possible care and support on their return.

Any other medical/first aid enquiries

Please do not hesitate to liaise with the Academy Matron if you have any concerns related to medical or first aid queries.  She can be contacted on (01908) 555620 or via medical@haz5d.com

How does the Academy deal with first aid incidents or when a student feels unwell? 

1. A student who feels unwell or is injured must tell a member of staff, who will sign their Planner or provide an Exeat card to authorise them to be out of class, and refer them to Miss Winkfield (referred to as the Academy Matron).
2. The Academy Matron and First Aiders are on duty throughout the Academy day, to respond to genuine first aid emergencies around the site. They are also able to offer help with minor accidents and incidents. There are strict limitations on what they are allowed to do, for example:- creams or ointments are not permitted to be used (ie. for stings or grazes).
3. If students feel unwell and are unable to continue with normal lessons, they are sent by their teacher to the Academy Matron, who will assess whether a phone call to parents/an emergency contact is necessary, and whether the student needs to be collected. Students are not permitted to contact home directly when feeling ill. We try to ensure that students waiting to go home are able to sit quietly, but space is limited and the same medical room may also be required to deal with other students needs.

We do not have a Doctor or Nurse on site. We are unable to offer any other medical advice or treatment to students. It is therefore not helpful if students are sent to the Academy when they are clearly unwell or have an incapacitating injury. We encourage attendance where at all possible, but it is not advisable if they will need collecting again within the hour.

If a student becomes ill or is injured during the day, it is essential that we are able to contact someone who can come and collect the student reasonably quickly. We appreciate that this can be a real problem for working parents, but we are not able to offer sick students the peace and quiet they usually require. If a child is too ill to be in class, they need to go home and be given the care necessary for them to recover.

Medication in the Academy

In all instances when prescribed medication needs to be administered within the Academy, parents must complete an Administration of Medicine Form (available from the Medical Room and Reception).  In line with the Department of Education guidelines, medicines must be in the original packaging with the dispensing label and instruction leaflet – we cannot accept blister packs of medication on their own, or medication not in original packaging. The Academy are unable to provide medical aids such as crutches/wheelchairs.

Leaflets and Information

Leaflets, booklets and other information are available from the Medical Room including information regarding headlice, healthy eating, personal hygiene, puberty and many other topics.  Should a parent or student require information on a particular subject, Miss Winkfield will make every effort to provide this on request, with support from The School Nursing Team if necessary.