Health information

Here you will find health information and presentations on various topics including anaphylaxis, asthma, epilepsy, hearing, continence and oral health. They are designed to support school staff to have a greater awareness of health issues concerning children and young people in a school setting.

Health information Statutory guidance about the support that pupils with medical conditions should receive at school is available.

Statutory guidance

This has a medicine administration template alongside guidance around how to develop policies for the children in your school with medical conditions.

Guide to health services for five to 11-year-olds

NHS Kent and Medway's toolkit for parents has useful information about where to go for help, advice on common childhood health problems and items you should keep at home in a medicine cabinet. It also has information about which vaccinations children need and tips on good mental health.

Before viewing the presentations

It is strongly recommended that virtual sessions are booked via our training page and that the narrated sessions can be accessed in the interim. In addition, please note these sessions only offer basic awareness.

Anaphylaxis awareness

GHA Anaphylaxis handout

Aim: To raise awareness of anaphylaxis and the emergency administration of medicines.

Objectives: After the session participants will:

have a basic understanding of anaphylaxis and how to recognise the signs and symptoms of a reaction
be able to identify potential triggers for anaphylaxis and understand how to reduce the risk of a reaction
understand how to respond effectively to an allergic or anaphylactic reaction, including the use of medication according to a management plan
understand why adrenaline auto-injectors are used for anaphylaxis, how to administer them correctly and how they should be stored in a school.

If a child has been prescribed an adrenaline auto injector, it will be an Epipen, a Jext pen or an Emerade pen. You can find demonstration videos for each model below.

These videos should be viewed prior to accessing our Kent School Health anaphylaxis awareness presentation.

Schools are able to buy an adrenaline auto-injector for use in an emergency. This guidance gives schools the basis to create a policy or protocol for using this.

Guidance for teachers, parents and pupils can be found at Spare Pen in Schools. You can find more useful information at Allergy UK, BSACI and the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

Anaphylaxis Campaign have a webinar discussing concerns around Covid-19 in the ‘Managing your allergies in the time of Coronavirus’ webinar.

Anaphylaxis awareness presentation

Anaphylaxis awareness presentation to support the understanding of Anaphylaxis and the use of Adrenaline Auto Injectors in a learning environment, according to a health care plan. Please note we have provided three links to videos provided by the EpiPen, Jext and Emerade manufacturers which demonstrate the correct administration technique for each adrenaline auto injector you are likely to have for the child or young person in your care. These videos should be viewed alongside this presentation.

Asthma awareness

GHA Asthma handout

Aim: To raise awareness of asthma and administration of medicines.

Objectives: By the end of the session participants will:

have a basic understanding of asthma and how to recognise the signs and symptoms of a reaction
be able to identify potential triggers for asthma
understand how to respond effectively to an asthmatic reaction including the use of medication according to a management plan.

A demonstration video on how to administer a range of inhalers with a spacer. These videos should be viewed alongside our Kent School Health asthma awareness presentation.

Schools are able to buy a salbutamol inhaler without a prescription for use in emergencies when a child with asthma cannot access their own inhaler. This guidance gives schools the basis to create a policy or protocol for using this.

Beat Asthma and Right Breathe are useful websites. Up to date information on asthma and Covid-19 can be found at Asthma UK.

Asthma awareness presentation

Asthma awareness presentation to support the understanding of Asthma and the correct use of inhalers in a learning environment, according to a health care plan. Please note we have provided a link to video demonstrations demonstrating the correct use of inhalers with a spacer device. This video should be viewed alongside this presentation.

Epilepsy awareness

Aim: To raise awareness of epilepsy and the emergency administration of medicines.

Objectives: By the end of the session, you will:

have a basic understanding of epilepsy and how we define a seizure
gain a basic understanding of the different causes of epilepsy
recognise the different types of seizures and possible triggers
develop a basic understanding how to manage a seizure according to a management plan.

Epilepsy Action and Epilepsy Society have useful resources including care plan templates and Young Epilepsy has an e-learning package for teachers and SENCOs which provides more information about the effect epilepsy can have on a child’s ability to learn and process information. You can find more information at Young Epilepsy.org.

Epilepsy awareness presentation

Basic general awareness of epilepsy in children and young people and the management of epilepsy in your school setting. Please note: the narrated PowerPoint presentation on basic epilepsy awareness shown below, does not include guidance on how to administer buccal Midazolam. If a child in your setting has been prescribed buccal midazolam, then please attend one of our live, interactive online sessions to receive guidance on the administration of this drug. The dates for our live sessions can be found at www.kentcht.nhs.uk/shs-schools-resource-hub/

GHA Epilepsy handout

Children's hearing

Continence

Oral health

Primary school children

Presentation created by our Oral Health Team to raise awareness of good oral health in primary aged children.