Supporting children and young people with Medical Needs

The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equalities Act 2010, place legal duties on schools to support children and young people with medical conditions. This support might be specified in a healthcare plan which is written by the school with the help of the children and young people’s parent carers and relevant medical professionals and clearly outlines how their medical needs will be supported while they are attending the setting and an escalation plan for any deterioration in their health condition.

If medical procedures such as monitoring medical readings or providing health treatments are required while the child or young person is within the setting, then relevant healthcare professionals will provide training to identified staff within the setting to ensure that the child or young person’s needs can be safely met.

The document Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions outlines national guidance on meeting medical needs within school.

Medical Needs and Disability

Some children and young people with medical conditions may be considered disabled. A child or young person with a medical condition that is physical or mental and that has a ‘long term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out day to day activities’ may be defined as disabled by the Equality Act 2010. This means they may also be covered under the SEND Code of Practice legislation and should be supported in school through the graduated response with an Education, Health and Care Plan only being needed for those with the highest level of need.

Medical Needs without SEND

A child or young person may have an isolated medical need and not necessarily have special educational needs or a disability, however they may need enhanced support to ensure they are safe and kept as healthy as possible within the setting. This will usually be provided by the setting making reasonable adjustments which may involve enhanced staffing.

Funding for support

If a child or young person has an isolated health condition for which a very high level of support is needed to carry out medical monitoring and medical interventions, then the setting could apply for some medical needs funding. This does not cover SEND needs which arise as a result of a medical condition. For example, physical needs including personal care needs and accessing the school environment. Please email somicb.dcosomerset@nhs.net  with details of the child or young person’s needs and the support being provided and the Designated Clinical Officer team will respond and inform you of next steps.

The following document gives further guidance. There is work going on nationally to update advice and guidance which is due to report in 2024 so this will be reviewed in the light of any changes to the national guidelines. Click this image to view the document in a larger PDF format.