First Aid Procedures

Aims:

The aims of the First Aid Procedures are as follows:
To assess and treat minor injuries
To identify major injuries and pursue policy in place for treating same
To provide basic First Aid treatment for minor injuries
To provide a common approach for administering First Aid
To ensure that safe practices are being followed in the administration of First Aid.

First Aid Procedures

Minor accident or injury is one where a child has received scrape, graze, bump or minor cut to arm, leg or body.
Serious accident or injury is one where child has received injury which may require further treatment, or any head injury.

Location of First Aid:

A First Aid Box is located at first aid station in corridor. First Aid boxes are also located in the staffroom and school office.
Teachers will treat any pupils requiring First Aid during class time
Special Needs Assistants are rostered to administer First Aid to any pupils requiring treatment during break-times.

Content of First Aid Kit:

Disposable gloves, Hypacool Icepack, Strile Saline Pods, Surgical Tape, Conforming Bandage, Moist sterile wipes, dressing. Scissors, cotton wool and dry gause.
A copy of all pupil contact numbers is retained in the staffroom and the school office. These are updated at the beginning of each term.
Travel First Aid Kits are taken by class teacher on field-trips, class-tours and when the teacher leaves the school-grounds.

Treatments:

Cuts, grazes, blood injuries –First Aider while wearing disposable gloves cleans wound using sterile water wipes. Elastoplasters are not placed on cuts.
All gloves and waste are discarded after each injury.
Sprains/suspected breaks – ice pack applied. Class teacher and principal are notified and parents are contacted.
Head Injuries are always checked and reported to class teacher and principal. The injured child is monitored and parents are notified by telephone. The First aider is responsible for contacting home. If a parent cannot be contacted, a voicemail is left and a note is placed in the pupil’s homework journal.
The purpose of the telephone call is to alert parents o the possibility of concussion symptoms emerging later in the day when child has left school.

Treatment of Serious Injury

In case of emergency, teacher present will call for support from partner teacher or teacher nearest in accordance with supervision policy, class teacher attends to injured pupil, and partner teacher takes responsibility for supervision of remainder of pupils.
Principal will be notified and if it is considered prudent, an ambulance will be called.
Pupil should be placed in recovery position, unless back or spine injury is suspected. (Diagram displayed in First Aid Station).
Administering Medication- see policy. Pupils with a chronic illness must have board of management approval before medication can be administered in school. All medical plans are communicated to school staff regularly during the school year.

Records:

A report is filed in the First Aid book by the First Aider. The report includes the date of incident, brief description of injury and action taken.
An Accident Report Form is filled out for all serious injuries or accidents. (Copy of Accident Report Form Attached.)
These records are retained in the school office.
School maintains these records for 10 years.
At the end of each academic year Accident Report Forms are placed in relevant student’s file.
Records are submitted to the BOM in line with Appendix 47 as cited in No.2 in Organisational Practices.
Serious incidents are reported to school insurance company in line with company policy which states :
Where a serious incident occurs, the following protocol is observed.
Notify the company of any incident which is likely to give rise to a claim.
Get an early report from any witnesses to the incident.
Whilst being sympathetic and helpful, do not do or say anything which might be interpreted as an admission of liability.
If the incident involves equipment, it should be removed from service and kept for inspection.
Photographs taken of the exact location soon after the accident may prove invaluable in the event of an action against the school.
In event of serious accident or injury the school has an arrangement to inform school insurers and complete usual incident report form.

Enrolment:

Child’s enrolment form allows parents to inform school regarding pupil’s health/allergies.
Parents should inform class teacher/office if any updated information.
This information is kept in child’s file in the office.

Staff Training

The board of management provides regular training to staff on dealing with typical school first aid instances.
Updated & Approved by B.O.M. on May 25th 2016.

Mary White

Chairperson