Health and medical issues

​Emergencies

• Parents will be contacted and/or the ambulance summoned if the situation is critical.
• After the emergency has been met, responsibility rests with the parent, ambulance or doctor notified.
• In cases where a student is hospitalised, the school should be notified so that an accident​ investigation may be undertaken.
• Current contact phone numbers are essential.
• A school accident register is kept.

First aid

• First aid is immediate, temporary treatment given by authorised staff in the event of illness, injury or accident.
• Staff is not permitted to carry out any further treatment.
• The St John's Ambulance/Red Cross certificate is held by a large number of staff.

Illness and injury

• The student attends the First Aid room for assessment and monitoring of condition.
• If symptoms are minor, the student will return to class when recovered.
• If the symptoms are serious, an attempt will be made to contact a parent or parent's nominee (emergency contact person).
• If contact is made, the student will be released to the parent's or nominee's care.
• If contact cannot be made, the student's condition will be monitored in the First Aid room until contact is made.
• A school record is kept of attendance in the First Aid room.

Infectious diseases

Temporary exclusion - extract from Education Office Gazette 88.14.08

"Students who are unwell should not be allowed to attend school ... guidelines have been drawn up ... on the premise that students who have been ill with an infectious disease will not return to school until they have fully recovered. The only exception to this rule is that students with certain skin diseases may return once appropriate treatment has commenced."

Accordingly:

• Students contracting a communicable disease, or certain skin, hair or eye infections may be temporarily excluded.
• Parents should contact the school for conditions of exclusion.
• Common infections requiring exclusion - chicken pox, conjunctivitis (acute), glandular fever, measles and rubella (German measles), mumps, ringworm, scabies, school sores, whooping cough, human parvovirus.
• Additionally - Education Queensland required the school to keep an Infectious Diseases register. Please notify the office if your child contracts an infection such as the above.

Medication

• Some forms of medication may be administered at school by personnel authorised by the principal.
• Such medication must be prescribed by a medical practitioner.
• Unless under prescription, analgesics will not be administered.
• Before medication can be administered the school requires:
1. a letter from the parent to the principal requesting the administration of medication (or form available from office) Please do not make requests of individual class teachers to administer medication.
2. administration instructions from the student's medical practitioner in any of the following ways: 
• doctor's letter
• copy of the prescription
• sighting of the medication container showing instructions printed by the pharmacist according to the doctor's prescription
3. medication clearly named and, if oral medication, in stated single dosage amounts.
• A record of all medication administered is held at the school.
• Asthma inhalers may be held by students - a letter of advice from a parent is required
• school first aid kits are equipped with asthma puffers for emergency situations.
• A letter from a parent is required authorising use of the puffer by the student in an emergency situation.