First Aid Policy

Issue 1   |  3rd September 2023

This First Aid policy was approved by the governing Board on 4th October 2023

Co-op Academy Stoke on Trent

Westport Road, Tunstall Stoke on Trent ST6 4LD

Tel: 01782 882300 Email: stok-academy@Co-opacademies.co.uk

Web: https://stokeontrent.coopacademies.co.uk

Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent First Aid Policy

Aims

The aims of our first aid policy are to:

• Ensure the health and safety of all staff, students and visitors
• Ensure that staff and governors are aware of their responsibilities with regards to health and safety
• Provide a framework for responding to an incident and recording and reporting the outcomes Legislation and guidance

This policy is based on advice from the Department for Education on first aid in schools and health and safety in schools, and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on incident reporting in schools, and the following legislation:

• The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, which state that employers must provide adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities to enable first aid to be administered to employees, and qualified first aid personnel
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, which require employers to make an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to carry out risk assessments, make arrangements to implement necessary measures, and arrange for appropriate information and training
• The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, which require that suitable space is provided to cater for the medical and therapy needs of students This policy complies with our funding agreement and articles of association. Roles and responsibilities

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) trained staff are responsible for:

• Taking charge when someone is injured or becomes ill
• Ensuring there is an adequate supply of medical materials in first aid kits, and replenishing the contents of these kits to replace any items used
• Ensuring that an ambulance or other professional medical help is summoned when appropriate
• Ensuring parents or carers are contacted and incidents recorded in the appropriate way.
• Asking for additional support from a FAW qualified staff member if the incident is significant or complex
• Filling in a “bump slip” at the time of the incident and completing, if necessary, on the same day, or as soon as is reasonably practicable, after an incident the first aid administered section of the accident report form.

First aid at work (FAW) qualified staff are responsible for:

As EFAW plus:

• Acting as first responders to any incidents; they will assess the situation where there is an injured or ill person, and provide immediate and appropriate treatment
• Sending students home to recover, where necessary
• Filling in a “bump slip” at the time of the incident and completing, if necessary, on the same day, or as soon as is reasonably practicable, after an incident the first aid administered section of the accident report form. N.B. The first aider is ONLY responsible for completion of the “first aid administered” section of the accident form, unless they witnessed the whole incident.
• Keeping their contact details up to date
• Our school’s first aid qualified staff are listed in appendix 1. Their names will also be displayed prominently around the school.
• Ensuring parents or carers are contacted and incidents recorded in the appropriate way

The Trust Board

The Trust Board has ultimate responsibility for health and safety matters in the school, but delegates operational matters and day-to-day tasks to the Headteacher and staff members.

The Headteacher

The Headteacher is responsible for the implementation of this policy, including:

• Ensuring that an appropriate number of trained first aid personnel are present in the school at all times
• Ensuring that first aiders have an appropriate qualification, keep training up to date and remain competent to perform their role
• Ensuring all staff are aware of first aid procedures
• Ensuring appropriate risk assessments are completed and appropriate measures are put in place
• Undertaking, or ensuring that managers undertake, risk assessments, as appropriate, and that appropriate measures are put in place
• Ensuring that adequate space is available for catering to the medical needs of students
• Reporting specified incidents to the HSE when necessary via the RIDDOR reporting system, see details below

Staff School staff are responsible for:

• Ensuring they follow first aid procedures
• Ensuring they know who the first aiders in school are
• Completing accident reports for all incidents they attend, where they were the key witness to the event. In the case of an incident with multiple witnesses one member of staff shall complete the accident report and the other staff witness statements are to be attached accordingly.
• Informing the Headteacher or their manager of any specific health conditions or first aid needs

First aid procedures In-school procedures

Serious illness or injury

In the event of an accident resulting in serious injury or a significant illness:

• The closest member of staff present will assess the seriousness of the injury or illness and seek the assistance of a qualified first aider, if appropriate, who will provide the required first aid treatment. If the member of staff is unsure of the seriousness of the injury or illness, or if they have any concerns they should also seek assistance from a qualified first aider.
• Where possible two first aiders should be on scene for serious injury or illnesses, preferably those with the 3 day First aid at Work qualification.
• The first aider, if called, will assess the injury and decide if further assistance is needed from a colleague or the emergency services. They will remain on the scene until help arrives and provide any appropriate information to the emergency services. The most senior / most qualified first aider on scene will be in charge of the situation and will relay information to the emergency medical services, as required.
• Any incident occurring in public areas will mean the dignity and wellbeing of the patient or casualty could be compromised. The portable screens should be collected from the medical room and placed around the area and any non-essential personnel should vacate the area. This includes non-essential staff as overcrowding the patient / casualty can compromise their dignity and their treatment.
• Where necessary the emergency services should be called by the first aider on scene, not the admin office, this aids in sharing appropriate information with the call handler.
• The admin office shall be made aware of the situation and any further action required, including contacting parents and the location of the incident.  A member of the senior leadership team should also be made aware of the situation, they should, where possible, remain outside of the immediate incident area itself to provide support where needed and to coordinate any additional resources requested by the first aider in charge of the incident. The admin office shall provide a SIMS / Arbor  print out of the student details and parental contact information, plus any relevant medical plans.
• The first aider will decide whether the injured person should be moved or placed in a recovery position, subject to the scope of their training and the seriousness / mechanism of injury. If in doubt, conscious casualties must NOT be moved unless there is a serious danger, such as fire or violence, in their current location.
• A first aid kit and the AED should be collected and brought to the incident, but not if this slows down the response of the first aider. If this would slow their response, the first aid kit and AED should be collected by another person once the situation has been assessed.
• If emergency services are called, a member of staff, preferably the admin office, will contact parents immediately. The parents or carers are to remain in reception until a member of staff can collect them and give them the appropriate information controlled way.
• A staff member should be sent to the appropriate access point, such as the reception area, to greet the emergency services, and to ensure they can find the casualty or patient quickly.
• An accident form will be completed by the key witness on the same day or as soon as possible after an incident resulting in an injury. The first aid treatment given section is to be completed by the first aider but the main body of the form should be completed by the key witnesses which may be the member of staff in charge of the lesson, activity etc.

Minor injury or illness

• If an individual is feeling unwell or has an injury but is ambulatory they should be assessed by a first aider in the medical room or another suitable location
• If the injury is manageable with standard first aid treatment they should be treated, the treatment logged in the first aid book and they should be returned to class. The slip issued to the student will act as a note to the member of staff and should be handed over to the parent by the student. Where treatment is given in another location, for example on the yard or in a classroom, carbon copy books are provided in the portable kits. These carbon copy books should be used to record the same information as the “bump slip.” The original copy shall be handed to the student and the carbon copy should be retained in the medical room for future reference, in the bump slip storage folder.
• If the first aider judges that a student is too unwell to remain in school, parents or carers will be contacted and asked to collect their child. Upon their arrival, the first aider will recommend next steps to the parents                         

Off-site procedures 

When taking students off the school premises, staff will ensure they always have the following:

•  A portable first aid kit including, at minimum:
• A leaflet giving general advice on first aid
• 6 individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings
• 1 large sterile unmedicated dressing
• 2 triangular bandages – individually wrapped and preferably sterile
• 2 safety pins
• Individually wrapped moist cleansing wipes
• 2 pairs of disposable gloves
• Information about the specific medical needs of students including food allergies
• Parents’ contact details

Suitable vomit bags plus paper towels should be taken on all trips and any individual with travel / motion sickness should be sat at the front of the vehicle. If the nausea is severe the parents or carers should contact a medical professional to access appropriate preventative medication, where appropriate.

Sanitary towels and tampons should also be taken for all trips. Any overnight trips or those travelling long distances should ensure spare underwear is available in case of emergency. This can be obtained from the i-zone.

When transporting students using a minibus or other large vehicle, the school will make sure the vehicle is equipped with a clearly marked first aid box containing, at minimum:

• 10 antiseptic wipes, foil packed
• 2 triangular bandages
• 1 packet of 24 assorted adhesive dressings
• 3 large sterile wound dressings (not less than 15 cm × 20 cm)
• 2 sterile eye pads, with attachments
• 12 assorted safety pins
• 1 pair of rustproof blunt-ended scissors

Risk assessments will be completed by the trip lead prior to any educational visit that necessitates taking students off school premises.

The school will normally have a trained first aider on the visit or in some exceptional circumstances first aid cover may be provided by staff at the venue for the visit. This is not an ideal arrangement and should be avoided where possible.

Any first aider using equipment from ANY of the first aid kits are responsible for replenishing any equipment used and reporting any shortfall to the lead first aider.

All consent forms should be checked thoroughly before leaving the academy and appropriate advice sought from an FAW first aider, to ensure any relevant medications and medical plans are provided.

The Academy is in possession of spare Salbutamol Inhalers and both adult and child Adrenaline Auto-injectors, commonly referred to as Epi-Pens. If a child is not in possession of their own medication they must not be permitted to go on the trip, even if spare medication is taken from the Academy, this medication is to be used in an emergency only. These emergency medications should be carried at all times and returned to the medical room as soon as possible.

First aid equipment

A typical first aid kit in our school will include the following:

• A leaflet giving general advice on first aid
• 20 individually wrapped sterile adhesive dressings (assorted sizes)
• 2 sterile eye pads
• 2 individually wrapped triangular bandages (preferably sterile)
• 6 safety pins
• 6 medium-sized individually wrapped sterile unmedicated wound dressings
• 2 large sterile individually wrapped unmedicated wound dressings
• 3 pairs of disposable gloves

No medication is kept in first aid kits.

First aid kits are stored in: The following are suggestions only. 

• The Medical Room
• Science Main Prep Room x2
• Site Team Workroom
• Food Technology
• Technology
• Reception
• PE Department
• Art
• Main Hall
• Sports Hall

A full list of first aid kit locations is listed in Appendix 1

Record-keeping and reporting

First aid and accident record book

• An accident form will be completed by the key witness on the same day or as soon as possible after an incident resulting in an injury. The first aid treatment given section is to be completed by the first aider but the main body of the form should be completed by the key witnesses which may be the member of staff in charge of the lesson, activity etc.
• As much detail as possible should be supplied when reporting an accident, including all of the information included in the accident form at appendix 2
• A copy of the accident report form will also be added to the student’s CPOMS record
• Records held in the first aid and accident book will be retained by the school for a minimum of 3 years, in accordance with regulation 25 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, and then securely disposed of. Reporting to the HSE The Office Manager will keep a record of any accident which results in a reportable injury, disease, or dangerous occurrence as defined in the RIDDOR 2013 legislation (regulations 4, 5, 6 and 7). The Office Manager will report these to the HSE as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any event within 10 days of the incident – except where indicated below. Fatal and major injuries and dangerous occurrences will be reported without delay (i.e. by telephone) and followed up in writing within 10 days.

Information regarding RIDDOR is available here:

How to make a RIDDOR report,

RIDDOR - Incident reporting in schools (accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences)

Types of reportable incidents under RIDDOR

School staff: reportable injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences

These include:

• Death
• Specified injuries, which are:
• Fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
• Amputations
• Any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
• Any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
• Serious burns (including scalding) which: ■ Covers more than 10% of the whole body’s total surface area; or ■ Causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
• Any scalping requiring hospital treatment
• Any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
• Any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, or requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

● Work-related injuries that lead to an employee being away from work or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 7 consecutive days (not including the day of the incident). In this case, the Office Manager will report these to the HSE as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within 15 days of the accident

● Occupational diseases where a doctor has made a written diagnosis that the disease is linked to occupational exposure.

These include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Severe cramp of the hand or forearm
• Occupational dermatitis, e.g. from exposure to strong acids or alkalis, including domestic bleach
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome
• Occupational asthma, e.g from wood dust
• Tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm
• Any occupational cancer
• Any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent

● Near-miss events that do not result in an injury, but could have done. Examples of near-miss events relevant to schools include, but are not limited to:

• The collapse or failure of load-bearing parts of lifts and lifting equipment
• The accidental release of a biological agent likely to cause severe human illness
• The accidental release or escape of any substance that may cause a serious injury or damage to health

•  An electrical short circuit or overload causing a fire or explosion

Students and other people who are not at work (e.g. visitors): reportable injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences.

These include:

• Death of a person that arose from, or was in connection with, a work activity*
• An injury that arose from, or was in connection with, a work activity* and the person is taken directly from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment *An accident “arises out of” or is “connected with a work activity” if it was caused by:
• A failure in the way a work activity was organised (e.g. inadequate supervision of a field trip)
• The way equipment or substances were used (e.g. lifts, machinery, experiments etc); and/or
• The condition of the premises (e.g. poorly maintained or slippery floors)

HSE Training: 

All academy staff are able to undertake first aid training if they would like to.

All first aiders must have completed a training course, and must hold a valid certificate of competence to show this. The school will keep a register of all trained first aiders, what training they have received and when this is valid until (see appendix 1).

The Academy will arrange for first aiders to retrain before their first aid certificates expire. In cases where a certificate expires, the school will arrange for staff to retake the full first aid course before being reinstated as a first aider. Training must be provided by an appropriately qualified and regulated training provider in accordance with the most up to date syllabus and curriculum.

Monitoring arrangements 

This policy will be reviewed annually. At every review, the policy will be approved by the Academy Governing Committee.

Links with other policies 

This first aid policy is linked to the:

● Trust-wide health and safety policy

● Academy policy on supporting students with medical conditions

Appendix 1: List of first aiders and first aid kit locations

Appendix 2: Accident Report Form