A–Z of prescribing for children

Children with both short-term and chronic conditions will inevitably need medication administered to them at school (Bellis et al, 2017). Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) for maintained schools and academies (so excluding private schools) offers strategies for training staff, record-keeping and medication storage (DfE, 2015a).

However, the guidance also details that, if prescribing for children, an attempt to endeavour to do so with the school day in mind is encouraged. The prescriber must also consider that their duty of care to the patient (Dowie, 2017) may also extend to within these school hours, and clear medicines management plans need to be put in place by the multidisciplinary team members.

It is, therefore, imperative that clear advice and training is needed for school personnel, as there is reported to be a three-fold increase in medication errors in schools if an unlicensed professional (such as a teacher) administers medications instead of a school nurse (Phan et al, 2020). The majority of maintained schools in the UK do not always have a qualified nurse on site at all times.