An issue has come up in relation to DfE guidance on home to school transport and the provision of emergency medication to pupils whilst on the transport. This applies to England.

The guidance says
“Local education, health and social care services should work together to ensure children get the right support. Local authority school travel teams may need to work with local partners to make suitable travel arrangements for children with medical needs.”
 
However, it then goes on to say
“Emergency medication should be administered in accordance with instructions from a health care professional. The driver or passenger assistant responsible for administering the medication should receive training from a health care professional.”
 
This clearly implies the delegation of health tasks from a health care professional to a (non-health) support worker, which in UNISON’s view is highly problematic (see our recent guidance for UNISON branches on supporting pupils with medical conditions). 
 
We are aware that some LAs may be proposing to amend the job description of passenger assistants/transport escorts/drivers to include this responsibility. The emergency medication required could include buccal midazolam, a controlled drug to treat seizures, which only recently paramedics were permitted to administer following a long campaign – which serves to show the problematic nature of the DfE guidance. 
 
We are raising concerns about the statutory guidance nationally with DfE, DHSC and NHS England along with our broader concerns about the provision of health care in schools. In our view, a safe and legally compliant solution would see NHS-employed staff on the buses rather than LA support staff. Our priority is to ensure pupils remain safe and that our members are not put in a position where they are forced to undertake tasks they are not qualified for.
 
Please do get in touch at j.parry@unison.co.uk and your Branch, if you have any experience of this issue, and/or if you would like to discuss how any local proposals can be challenged.