First Aid and Medication

You should have a fully equipped first aid box in the home and in each vehicle used to carry young people. Your Supervising Social Worker will check  first aid boxes are  stocked by you when they do your annual Health and Safety check. You should make sure that you take the opportunity to attend health and safety training opportunities when they arise.

First aid boxes should be kept in a safe accessible place, where the people who need to get access to them can do so.

The first aid box may be looked at in an unannounced visit.

If a young person requires first aid, you should apply first-aid if it is safe to do so, and contact their Social Worker and your Supervising Social Worker as soon as possible. You must not delay the process of getting medical help.

You should always assess the situation and in a medical emergency, send for medical help and an ambulance or the police if this is needed.

Before help arrives:

• Do not move the young person other than to remove them from immediate danger or place them into the recovery position;
• Try to find out what has happened;
• Collect any drugs or spillages (e.g. vomit) for analysis;
• Do not try and make them sick;
• Observe the young person; keep them calm, warm and quiet;
• If the young person is unconscious:
  • Ensure they can breathe and place them in the recovery position;
  • Do not move them if they are likely to have spinal or other serious injury which may not be obvious;
  • Do not give anything by mouth;
  • Do not attempt to make them sit or stand;
  • Do not leave them on their own.

When medical help arrives, pass on any information available, including samples of vomit and any drugs.

If a young person who is placed with you has particular health needs, the young person’s social worker should provide information and advice on specialist advisory or support groups.

You must have guidance on giving prescribed drugs for young people and advice on if you can give drugs not on prescription.

You are expected to complete the accident and illness record when you administer any medication or when there has been a medical incident e.g. hospital admission, consultant/GP appointments.

Any health-related issues should always be discussed in supervision meetings and recorded.

You may receive specific training in relation to the management and administration of medication if your young person needs support with medication management.

Home Remedies are medicines that can be bought over the counter without prescription, including Paracetamol, Aspirin, homeopathic, herbal, aromatherapy, vitamin supplements or alternative therapies. Consideration should be given as to how long a young person continues to use Home Remedies before they should arrange to see their GP.

Although Aspirin may be purchased 'over the counter', without prescription; it may not be given to children unless prescribed by a medical practitioner.

Home Remedies must be kept in a locked cabinet that is only accessible to you, unless a young person is permitted to keep their own Home Remedies and self-administrate, in which case the arrangements for this must be agreed by their social worker and clearly recorded in the  Placement Plan or during a Care Team Meeting.

A specialist allergy nurse/consultant will help develop a Health Care plan which should be shared with you and with all agencies working with the young person.

The Care and Placement Plan and Health Care Plan should contain the following:

• All known allergies and associated risks including spotting the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis for the young person;
• Preventative measures should be detailed in the Plan - for example taking daily antihistamines for hay fever, making sure cleaning products and gloves are hypoallergenic, and washing powder is suitable for skin conditions;
• Actions to take when a young person has an allergic reaction. The plan should describe exactly what to do and who needs to be contacted in the event of an emergency. For example, when to use an Epi Pen and calling for an ambulance;
• You should be aware of the Plan and should have been trained to administer an Epi Pen by a suitable qualified health professional;
• The young person should be educated around their allergies and what to do in an emergency - a young person may be able to self-administer their own EpiPen or take antihistamines. If this is the case this should be recorded;
• Medication should be easily accessible so you and/or the young person can access their medication in an emergency situation;
• You should keep a record of each episode and any medication given.

For further information see the NHS Website or see Allergy UK Website.

The following steps must be followed if you are asked to help and support a young person with administrating their medication:

• Check the medicine to make sure it is prescribed for the young person and it is within the expiry date;
• Make sure the young person’s name, the name of the medication, and the dosage are correct;
• Give the medicine in accordance with the instructions;
• Record when you give the medicine including the date, time, how much, your name and signature;
• Record if the young person refuses the medicine or the reason it was not given;
• You should not attempt to administer another dose of medication if the dose of medication has been partially swallowed or spat out.

Receipt of Medicines

All medicines from whatever source, including medication from hospital, should be recorded.  This helps all parties understand what, how much and when a young person has taken the medication and can help to establish if it is working or not. 

The record should show:

• Date you got the medicine;
• Name, strength and dosage of medicine;
• Quantity received;
• Expiry date;
• Name of the young person for whom medication is prescribed/purchased;
• Your signature for receiving the medicine.

Some young people are prescribed controlled drugs. Examples of controlled drugs are morphine and pethidine for pain, methadone for withdrawal and Ritalin for hyperactivity.

ALL CONTROLLED DRUGS MUST BE STORED SAFELY BY BEING KEPT IN A LOCKED CABINET. NO MORE THAN 28 DAYS' SUPPLY SHOULD BE KEPT AT A TIME.

See also: CQC information on Controlled Drugs.

A record is required to identify what happens to medication in the home. This record should show:

• Date you finished the medicine or disposed of it/returned it to the pharmacy;
• Name and strength of medicine;
• Quantity taken;
• Name of the young person for whom the medicine was prescribed/purchase;
• Your signature if you arranged disposal of the medicine.

First aid and records of all medicines that have been given will be recorded; if advice is sought from a GP, NHS 111 or pharmacist, you should record details of the discussions on the same day. If an accident occurs, which results in a visit to GP/hospital, it should be recorded as soon as possible.