Purpose

To ensure that Numurkah Primary School appropriately supports students diagnosed with asthma.

Objective

To explain to Numurkah Primary Parents/Carers, staff and students the processes and procedures in place to support students diagnosed with asthma.

Scope

This policy applies to:

all staff, including casual relief staff, contractors and volunteers
all students who have been diagnosed with asthma or who may require emergency treatment for asthma and their parents/carers.

Policy

Asthma

Asthma is a long term lung condition. People with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs which react to triggers, causing a ‘flare-up’. In a flare-up, the muscles around the airway squeeze tight, the airways swell and become narrow and there is more mucus. This makes it hard to breathe. An asthma flare-up can come on slowly (over hours, days or even weeks) or very quickly (over minutes). A sudden or severe asthma flare-up is sometimes called an asthma attack.

Symptoms

Symptoms of asthma can vary over time and often vary from person to person. The most common asthma symptoms are:

breathlessness
wheezing (a whistling noise from the chest)
tight feeling in the chest
persistent cough

Symptoms often occur at night, early in the morning or during/just after physical activity. If asthma is well controlled, a person should only have occasional asthma symptoms.

Triggers

A trigger is something that sets off or starts asthma symptoms. Everyone with asthma has different triggers. For most people with asthma, triggers are only a problem when asthma is not well controlled with medication. Common asthma triggers include:

exercise	colds/flu
smoke (cigarette smoke, wood smoke from open fires, burn-offs or bushfires)	weather changes such as thunderstorms and cold, dry air
house dust mites	moulds
pollens	animals such as cats and dogs
chemicals such as household cleaning products	deodorants (including perfumes, after-shaves, hair spray and aerosol deodorant sprays)
food chemicals/additives	certain medications (including aspirin and anti-inflammatories)
laughter or emotions, such as stress

Asthma management

If a student diagnosed with asthma enrols at Numurkah Primary School:

Parents/carers must provide the school with an Asthma Action Plan which has been completed by the student’s medical practitioner. The plan must outline:
- the prescribed medication taken by the student and when it is to be administered, for example as a pre-medication to exercise or on a regular basis
- emergency contact details
- the contact details of the student’s medical practitioner
- the student’s known triggers
- the emergency procedures to be taken in the event of an asthma flare-up or attack.
Parents/carers should also provide a photo of the student to be included as part of the student’s Asthma Action Plan.
Numurkah Primary School will keep all Asthma Action Plans in the school office and child’s classroom
School staff may also work with parents/carers to develop a Student Health Support Plan which will include details on:
- how the school will provide support for the student
- identify specific strategies
- allocate staff to assist the student
If a student diagnosed with asthma is going to attend a school camp or excursion, Numurkah Primary School parents/carers are required to provide any updated medical information.
If a student’s asthma condition or treatment requirements change, parents/carers must notify the school and provide an updated Asthma Action Plan.
School staff will work with parents/carers to review Asthma Action Plans (and Student Health Support Plans) once a year.

Student Asthma Kit

All students diagnosed with asthma are required to have a student asthma kit at school which contains:

their own prescribed reliever medication labelled with the student’s name
their spacer (if they use one)

Asthma emergency response plan

If a student is:

having an asthma attack
difficulty breathing for an unknown cause, even if they are not known to have asthma

School staff will endeavour to follow the Asthma First Aid procedures outlined in the table below. School staff may contact Triple Zero “000” at any time.

Step	Action
	Sit the person upright Be calm and reassuring Do not leave them alone Seek assistance from another staff member or reliable student to locate the student’s reliever, the Asthma Emergency Kit and the student’s Asthma Action Plan (if available). If the student’s action plan is not immediately available, use the Asthma First Aid as described in Steps 2 to 5.
	Give 4 separate puffs of blue or blue/grey reliever puffer: Shake the puffer Use a spacer if you have one Put 1 puff into the spacer Take 4 breaths from the spacer Remember – Shake, 1 puff, 4 breaths
	Wait 4 minutes If there is no improvement, give 4 more separate puffs of blue/grey reliever as above (or give 1 more dose of Bricanyl or Symbiocort inhaler)
	If there is still no improvement call Triple Zero “000” and ask for an ambulance. Tell the operator the student is having an asthma attack Keep giving 4 separate puffs every 4 minutes until emergency assistance arrives (or 1 dose of Bricanyl or Symbicort every 4 minutes – up to 3 doses of Symbicort)
	If asthma is relieved after administering Asthma First Aid, stop the treatment and observe the student. Notify the student’s emergency contact person and record the incident

Staff will call Triple Zero “000” immediately if:

the person is not breathing
if the person’s asthma suddenly becomes worse or is not improving
if the person is having an asthma attack and a reliever is not available
if they are not sure if it is asthma
if the person is known to have anaphylaxis

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