TAMWORTH CORNERSTONE HOUSING ASSOCIATION

 

                                  THE NEW SCHOOL FIRST AID POLICY

 

 

THE PLACE FOR FIRST AID:

TCHA will conform to all statutory legislation and recognises and accepts its responsibility as an employer for providing so far as reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy work place and working environment, both physically and psychologically, for all its employees, volunteers, and other workers. TCHA also recognises that its responsibility for the safety and welfare of all the pupils on site is paramount. First Aid matters will be raised at staff meetings whilst First Aid notices will be prominently displayed and all staff/students/clients will be informed about First Aid arrangements during induction.

 

FIRST AID PROVISION:

á          A suitably stocked and labelled first-aid container situated in the training room, church hall, coffee shop & Old School House.

á          All TCHA staff are trained First Aiders to take charge of first-aid arrangements. (Appointed persons until HSE approved training can be accessed)

á          Information for employees, pupils, parents/carers on first-aid arrangements

á          Ongoing risk assessment carried out periodically.

á          First-aid provision available at all times while people are on premises and on off-site visits where a risk assessment has indicated this might be necessary (eg sports activities)

á          A portable first aid box is carried on outside visits.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Health and safety legislation places duties on employers for the health and safety of their employees and anyone else on the premises.

TCHA is responsible, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) and under the regulations for the registration of independent schools for having a health and safety policy. This should include arrangements for first aid, based on a risk assessment of the site and should cover:

á        numbers of first-aiders/ appointed persons;

á         numbers and locations of first-aid containers

á        arrangements for off-site activities/ trips/work experience. This does not conflict with the responsibility of the employers or colleges to undertake a risk assessment to identify significant risk and necessary control measures when pupils below the minimum school leaving age are on or off site.

á          Out of school hours arrangements e.g. letters, parentsŐ evenings TCHA will provide a qualified First Aider who has received training approved by the HSE and updated every 3 years.  A First Aider is always on site (including parentsŐ evenings and other out of hours events) and one will normally accompany off site visits.

 

We will complete an individual health care plan for pupils with specific medical needs. Anaphylaxis, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy etc. and ensure that explicit permission is given for the administration of any medications (see Policy) Parents have the prime responsibility for their childŐs health and should provide the school with information about their childŐs medical condition.

 

Staff conditions of employment do not include giving first aid, although any member of staff may volunteer to undertake these tasks. Staff are expected to use their best endeavours at all times, particularly in emergencies, to secure the welfare of young people in the same way that parents might be expected to act towards their children. In general, the consequences of taking no action are likely to be more serious than those of trying to assist in an emergency.

 

Adequate and appropriate training and guidance is given to staff who volunteer to be first alders/ appointed persons. There will be enough trained staff to meet the statutory requirements and assessed needs. First aiders must complete a training course approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and ensure they receive refresher training every 3 years.

 

On site, the main duties of a first-aider/appointed person are to:

á          Give immediate help to casualties with common injuries or illnesses and those arising from specific hazards  

á          When necessary, ensure that an ambulance or other professional medical help is called.

á          Enter details of injuries and treatment outcome in the appropriate record.

á          Administer medication and keep appropriate records.

á          Take charge when someone is injured or becomes ill

á           Look after the first-aid equipment e.g. restocking the first-aid container

 

PROCEDURE IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, INJURY, DEFECTS OR HAZARDS:

In case of an accident on site, the following procedures should be followed:  

á          The injured party should be seen by a qualified First Aider/Appointed Person

á          If the injuries cannot be treated on site, arrangements should be made for transportation to hospital.

á          Whilst we are waiting for our Appointed Persons to be fully trained it may be that young people with quite minor injuries will need to be seen by appropriately qualified medical personnel.

á           All witnesses must complete an Accident Report; Accident Reports can be found in the training offices or administration office.

á          If the accident is as a result of an incident on site, all parties involved and any witnesses need to file an incident report.

 

 HYGIENE/ INFECTION CONTROL:

All staff should take precautions to avoid infection and must follow basic hygiene procedures.

á        Staff should have access to single-use disposable gloves and hand washing facilities, and should take care when dealing with blood or other body fluids and disposing of dressings or equipment

á        TCHA keeps a record of any first aid treatment given by first aiders/appointed persons. This includes:

o     the date, time and place of incident;

o     the name of the injured or ill person

o     details of the injury/ illness and what first aid was given

o     what happened to the person immediately afterwards (for example went home, resumed normal duties, went back to session, went to hospital)

o    Name and signature of the first aider or person dealing with the incident.

All employees are reminded that they are responsible for any defects in the equipment or damage to any rooms and should report such to the Health & Safety Officer.  Any damage to the building that could be dangerous should also be reported to the Health & Safety Officer / Services Director immediately.

 

 

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

In some cases children / young people with medical needs may be more at risk than others. Staff may need to take additional steps to safeguard the health and safety of such people. In a few cases individual procedures may be needed and these will be detailed in an individual Risk Assessment. The Services Director is responsible for making sure that all relevant staff know about and are if necessary trained to provide any additional support these young people may require.

 

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:

From April 2004 First Aiders must be trained to recognise and respond appropriately to the emergency needs of children / young people with chronic medical conditions, the most   common ones asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and severe allergic reaction.

Children with asthma need to have immediate access to their reliever inhalers when they need them. Spare inhalers must be provided by parents and kept in an unlocked cabinet by schools.

Children with epilepsy; any concerns about safety should be discussed with the child and parents as part of the health care plan. Children with diabetes should be able to manage their own medication. This should be discussed with child and parent as part of the health care plan.

Anaphylaxis – parents and child should discuss allergies as part of the health care plan. Pre-loaded injection devices should be provided by the parents in the correct container, labelled with their childŐs name and updated medicines.

If the school has to give this injection an ambulance must always be called.

 

CHILD PROTECTION:

 If any concerns are raised that have Safeguarding implications (eg unexplained marks or scars), whilst a person is being treated for first aid, the First Aider must inform the designated Child Protection officer who will then take appropriate action.

 

Physical Contact with Children:

The treatment of young people for minor injuries, illness or medical conditions may involve members of staff in physical contact with them. Therefore any treatment should: *

o     Not involve more contact than necessary

o      Be undertaken by staff who have volunteered to be designated to the task

o      Be carried out wherever possible, in front of other children or adults *

o     Be recorded in appropriate methods

o     Parents informed

 

FIRST AID MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES:

First aid equipment must be clearly labelled, easily accessible and up to date. Young peoplesŐ individual medical containers must be clearly marked on the outside and contain their health care plan plus up to date medicines provided by the parents / guardians.

 

Contents of a first aid container:

All first aid containers contain the correct contents (as recommended by the DFE Guidance) to provide first aid to our client groups. The First-aider/Appointed Person is responsible for examining the contents of first aid containers. They are checked frequently and restocked as soon as possible after use. Items are discarded safely after the expiry date has passed.

 

Travelling first-aid containers: Before undertaking any off-site activities, the responsible person assesses what level of first-aid provision is needed. A portable first-aid container is maintained in a good condition and readily available for use; prominently marked as a first aid container.

 

 

 Minibus first-aid containers:

Transport Regulations require that the minibus has on board a first-aid container. 

 

 

ACCIDENTS:

All accidents that occur on TCHA premises must be reported to the Services Director and an Incident Report completed.

á          All witnesses should also complete Incident Reports.

á          The Accident must be recorded in the Accident Book together with any relevant outcomes.

á          A serious (one that involves hospitalisation, 3+ days off work or death) accident that happens to employees, young people or visitors must be reported to the HSE on Form 2508. Accidents that must be reported are those which are a result of any session activity or a result of defective premises or equipment within TCHA rooms.

á          All records are being kept for a minimum of 3 years. They will be analysed to look for trends and patterns and may:

á          Be used for reference in future first aid needs assessments

á          Be helpful for insurance and investigative purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This policy was agreed and approved by the TCHA Board of Directors 

               on behalf of Tamworth Cornerstone Housing Association

             

                  was reviewed................2011..........................

                          

               next review....................2013........................