Medical Team

Notes from the Medical Team

Medical Room direct lines: 02380 246777 / 02380246574
Medical Room email:medicalteam@thornden.hants.sch.uk

The Medical Team are:

Wendy Prince RN - School Nurse
Lindsay Lambourne - School Nurse Assistant
Tracy Bailey - School Nurse Assistant

Feeling Unwell in School

If a student feels unwell during the school day they should attend the Medical Room for assessment, care and treatment as appropriate. However, students are encouraged to attend during break or lunchtime unless; they are injured during a lesson, they have a chronic condition; this includes migraines, or they are very unwell. Students should not contact parents directly to be collected; if your child does contact you please advise them to go to the Medical Room. You may wish to then phone the Medical Room to discuss further.

Exceptional Medical Conditions

If a student has an exceptional medical condition that requires care or support during the school day or has emergency medication to take in school please contact the Medical Team directly via phone or email. Please DO NOT use Arbor to provide this information.

New Medical Condition or amendment to existing condition

If there are changes to a student’s existing medical condition or a new one is diagnosed please advise the Medical Team directly via phone or email, as soon as possible. Please DO NOT use Arbor to provide this information.

Transition and In-Year Admissions only

If your child has a medical condition please complete the Health Information Form and return it to the medical team.

Asthma or student has been prescribed an inhaler for occasional use

If your child has asthma or has been prescribed an inhaler for occasional use, they are encouraged to carry it with them at all times with a spare being kept in the medical room if you wish.
In all cases please ensure you complete the Thornden School Asthma/Inhaler Registration Form which provides useful information and allows you to give written permission for the use of the school’s centralised Salbutamol/Ventolin (blue) reliever inhaler in an emergency if your child’s own is unavailable, expired or broken.
Please ALSO provide an Asthma Action Plan Asthma action plans – Asthma + Lung UK completed with your child's healthcare professional at your earliest convenience.

Medication in School

The only medication supplied by the school is paracetamol. If you wish your child to be administered paracetamol in the case of pain or fever, please ensure that you sign the appropriate consent form when your child commences at Thornden
Medication use in school is discouraged however there are occasions when it is appropriate and necessary. If you wish to provide medication to be administered or supervised in school including emergency medication, regular routine medication, pain relief other than paracetamol and short courses of antibiotics please complete a Form A 'Parental-School Agreement for the administration of medicines in school' Form A ‘Parental school agreement for the administration of medicines in school’
We discourage students from carrying medication for self-administration unless it is required in an emergency. However, if you feel it may be appropriate for your child to carry medication this can be discussed with the School Nurse; a Form A will still need to be completed.

Please adhere to the following guidelines with any medication that is brought into school:

The medication needs to be provided in the original packaging, clearly labelled with the child’s name and in the case of prescribed medication should have the doctor’s directions clearly visible on the pharmacy dispensing label.
The expiry date should be noted and if still required a replacement supplied in good time.
In the case of self-administration, the child should only carry enough medication to cover one school day at a time. The child should be advised to store the medication safely and informed of the risks of sharing medications.
In the case of medication to be used in an emergency, an Emergency Health Care Plan or Action Plan/Card, supplied by a Health Professional, needs to accompany the Form A. Please contact the Medical Team for assistance if you do not have a current Health Care/Action Plan for your child.
The school strongly recommends that a ‘back up’ supply of medication be provided for emergency use; this will be kept in the Medical room.

Other Points of Note

There are a high number of students in school with nut allergies, Thornden therefore aims to be a nut free school, please do not send your child in with nuts, this includes those contained in cereal bars, Nutella, praline chocolates etc. This is the responsibility of parents, carers and students.
There are also a number of students in school whose asthma is triggered by aerosols therefore students should not bring aerosols into school, this includes deodorants and body sprays.
If a student is unable to participate in PE/Dance due to injury/illness please write, date and sign a note for them to give to the PE teacher. Please make the time-frame this applies to clear.
If a student needs to use crutches in school, please refer to the guidance found on this website and discuss with the Medical Team in advance of the student returning to school. Students who are NON weight bearing will need to be shown how to do the stairs by a Physiotherapist. Use of Crutches in School.
In case of emergency please keep your contact numbers up to date on Arbor.
Three sets of vaccinations are offered to students by the NHS School Immunisation Team during their time at Thornden School:
- The Flu Vaccination
- The Human Papilloma Virus vaccine (HPV) in Year 8
- The Teenage Booster vaccinations; Combined Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, and Meningitis ACWY in Year 9
- Information and electronic consent forms are sent home in advance.
Head lice can occasionally still be an issue at secondary school; often thought to be related to students being independent with their hygiene needs. Therefore please continue to regularly check your child’s hair for any signs and treat appropriately.
After a stomach bug, please keep your child at home for 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting/diarrhoea as per UK Health Security Agency guidance but continue to log the absence daily on the Arbor app. D & V in Children