2.6.2 General Practitioners, Dentists and Opticians |
REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
England: STANDARD 6 - Promoting good health and wellbeing
Regulation 20 - Health needs of children
Regulation 21 - Medicines
Wales: Good Health and Wellbeing; Treatment and Administration of Medicines. See Children's Homes Regulations and Standards (Wales) 2002
OUTCOME STATEMENT
Children's health needs are met and their welfare is safeguarded by the home's policies and procedures for administering medicines and providing treatment.
AMENDMENTS
This Chapter was amended in April 2009 to take account of Regulation 8 of The Placement of Children (Wales) Regulations 2007. The key changes are set out in Section 1, Notifications and Registrations.
Contents
1. Notifications and Registrations
Amended April 2009: The whole of this section was amended in March 2009
When a child is placed in a home, the social worker must arrange for the Health Authority, in the area where a child is placed, to be notified of the placement.
The Manager of the home should arrange for the following:
- For the child to be allocated with a Link Worker (Keyworker) who will be responsible for promoting his/her health and educational achievement, liaising with key professionals, including the Clinical Nurse Specialist, the child's GP and dental practitioner. The Link/Keyworker will also be responsible for ensuring that up to date with information is kept on the child in relation to his/her health needs, development, illnesses, operations, immunisations, allergies, medications, administered, dates of appointments with GPs and specialists (see Keyworker Guidance).
- For the child to be registered with a GP no later than 10 working days after the child is placed
- For the child to have access to a Dentist in the home's locality no later than 20 working days after the child is placed.
- For the child to be registered with an Optician in the home's locality.
- For a Health Care Assessment to be carried out in relation to the child within 14 days of the child's placement, as set out in Health Care Assessments and Plans Procedure.
Details of the registration or any changes must be recorded, by the social worker, in the Placement Information Record, a copy of which must be forwarded to the home, at the latest, within 14 days of the placement.
Additionally, the child's Medical Record should be updated
2. Appointments
If children appear to require or request it, appointments should be made for them to see their GP or other medical practitioners as appropriate.
When appointments are made, account should be taken of the child's wishes, for example, to see a practitioner of a preferred gender. Also, appointments should preferably be made which do not disrupt the child's education.
Parents, those with Parental Responsibility and the child's social worker should, if possible, be consulted before making appointments; and they should be informed of the outcome.
See: Consents Guidance
As appropriate, the Essential Information Record should be updated to take account of these appointments. Care should be taken to ensure that the top copy, held by the social worker, and the copy held in the home are updated.
Additionally, the child's Medical Record should be updated.
End