Health Care

Great Southern Grammar has a School Nurse on campus from 8.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday to attend to the health needs of students. When children are sick at school, they will be seen in most cases by the School Nurse and parents will be contacted if the child is too ill to remain at school. In cases of sickness or injury, first-line management will be attended to prior to contacting the parent or emergency contact.

Although all efforts will be made to contact these people, if the school is unable to do so, it will act on the parent’s behalf and make necessary arrangements. Thus, it is vital that if a student’s medical details, circumstances or contact details change, the school is notified immediately to ensure the most current information is available. 

Medications

The Medication Administration Policy has been formulated to reflect legislative and best practice requirements. It is recognised that:

• All medication, including naturopathic and complementary medicines, given is to be documented on the student’s health record.
• Parental consent to administer medication is required.
• The quantities of medication within the school need to be minimised.
• Medications are to be stored in accordance with the Poisons Act, Department of Health and manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Short term prescribed medication may be required for the management of acute illness or infection.
• Some students require long term medication for the management of chronic medical conditions.

Short Term Medication

Students requiring short term medication may bring the required dose to school each day to maintain therapeutic compliance. Administration details are to be provided in writing by the parent and documented on the Prescribed Medication Record.

The student and medication are to be presented to Primary Administration. The medication must be in its original container with the prescription label and details, including name, drug, dosage, frequency and expiry date, clearly marked. Students are not to self-administer medications.

Infectious Diseases

When a child is suffering an illness that can be spread to others (an infectious disease) they must be cared for at home until the infection is completely resolved. Similarly, children found to have head lice will be sent home and not permitted to return until appropriate treatment has been undertaken.

Dental and Eye Care

Spencer Park Dental Clinic provides dental care checkups for all students. Eye and ear testing is performed by the WA Country Health Service, School Health Nurse. Referrals to specialists such as orthodontists, ophthalmologists and audiologists are undertaken after consultation with the student’s parents.