First aid policy

Help for non-English speakers

If you need help to understand this policy, please contact Donald Eddington, Principal. Non-English speakers can also access Google translate at the bottom of this web page.

As valuable partners in your child's wellbeing, learning and engagement at William Ruthven Primary School, we welcome and encourage your feedback. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our policies and practices, please contact the Principal, Donald Eddington via email, donald.eddington@education.vic.gov.au.

Purpose

To ensure the school community understands our school’s approach to first aid for students.

Scope

First aid for anaphylaxis and asthma are provided for in our school’s:

This policy does not include information on first aid requirements for COVID-19. Our school follows the Department’s operational guidance for first aid management relating to COVID-19.

Policy

From time to time William Ruthven Primary School staff might need to administer first aid to students at school or school activities.

Parents/carers should be aware that the goal of first aid is not to diagnose or treat a condition.

Staffing

The Principal will ensure that William Ruthven Primary School has sufficient staff with the appropriate levels of first aid training to meet the first aid needs of the school community.

Our school’s trained first aid officers are listed in our Emergency Management Plan (EMP). Our EMP includes the expiry dates of the training.

This list is reviewed on an annual basis as part of the annual review of our Emergency Management Plan.

First aid kits

William Ruthven Primary School will maintain:

A major first aid kit which will be stored in the First Aid room.
Three portable first aid kits which may be used for excursions, camps, or yard duty. The portable first aid kits will be stored:

Work station 1 (between rooms 2 and 5)
Work station 2 (between rooms 4 and 7)
Specialist office (between rooms 11 and 12).

Bronwyn Sealey will be responsible for maintaining all first aid kits, ensuring they are managed in accordance with the Department’s policy and guidance on first aid kits – refer to First aid kits.

Care for ill students

Students who are unwell should not attend school.

If a student becomes unwell during the school day, they may be directed to the First Aid room and monitored by staff. Depending on the nature of their symptoms, staff may contact parents/carers or an emergency contact person to ask them to collect the student. Students requiring more than 15 minutes of first aid supervision will be sent home.

First aid room

Our school follows the Department’s policy and guidance in relation to our first aid room to ensure it is safe, hygienic and appropriately equipped: First aid rooms and sick bays.

First aid management

If there is a situation or incident which occurs at school or a school activity which requires first aid to be administered to a student:

Staff who have been trained in first aid will administer first aid in accordance with their training. In an emergency situation, other staff may assist in the administration of first aid within their level of competence.
In a medical emergency, staff may take emergency action and do not need to obtain parent/carer consent to do so. Staff may contact Triple Zero “000” for emergency medical services at any time.
Staff may also contact NURSE-ON-CALL (on 1300 60 60 24) in an emergency. NURSE-ON-CALL provides immediate, expert health advice from a registered nurse and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If first aid is administered for a minor injury or condition, William Ruthven Primary School will notify parents/carers by Compass.
If first aid is administered for a serious injury or condition, or in an emergency situation, school staff will attempt to contact parents/carers or emergency contacts as soon as reasonably practical.
If staff providing first aid determine that an emergency response is not required but that medical advice is needed, school staff will ask parents/carers, or an emergency contact person, to collect the student and recommend that advice is sought from a medical practitioner.
Whenever first aid treatment is administered to a student resulting from a student incident, injury or illness, William Ruthven Primary School will:
- record the provision of first aid treatment on Compass.
- if care was provided in response to a medical emergency or reportable incident, follow the Department’s Reporting and Managing School Incidents Policy, including reporting the incident to the Department’s Incident Support and Operations Centre on 1800 126 126 where required to under that policy.

In accordance with Department of Education and Training policy, analgesics, including paracetamol and aspirin, will not be stored at school or provided as a standard first aid treatments. This is because they can mask signs of serious illness or injury. For further information refer to the Department’s Policy and Advisory Library: Medication

Communication

This policy will be communicated to our school community in the following ways

Included in staff induction processes
Available publicly on our school’s website
Included as annual reference in school newsletter
Included in our staff handbook
Discussed at staff briefings/meetings as required
Made available in hard copy from school administration upon request

Further information and resources

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following Department policies and guidelines:

The following school policies are also relevant to this First Aid Policy: [insert details of your related school policies. A sample list is provided as follows]

Policy review and approval