Half of West Lothian’s schools did not complete an annual self assessment last year on the handling of pupil medications, four years after the council first called for improvements.
After the June meeting of the Governance and Risk Committee , Councillor Damian Doran-Timson said the lack of compliance over the storage and handling of medicines in schools remained “extremely concerning”.
In his annual Internal Audit Annual Report, Kenneth Ribbons, the council’s Audit, Risk and Counter Fraud Manager, said Education services had a remit: “To review and ensure compliance with the 'Procedures for the Management of Pupils with Healthcare Needs' within schools."
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The report said the audit concluded the review with: “Requires Improvement.”
In 2019 the monitoring was branded a “shambles” by the then committee chair, Tory councillor Chris Horne.
Described as “unsound” by that year’s annual audit, the 2019 report showed controlled medication unsafely stored, unsupervised self-medication by pupils and consent forms unsigned by parents or doctors among a catalogue of failings uncovered by an internal audit.
The 2019 audit also revealed school records on the use and storage of controlled drugs such as Ritalin to treat ADHD were incomplete, dosages did not tally with records and that many schools did not dispose of out of date medications.
The council is responsible for the safety of pupils including the arrangements required for the safe administration of medical care requested by parents/ carers and caring for pupils whose needs may not involve medication.
This year’s audit noted: “It was found in the last year only 43 schools (50%) had completed the annual medication self-assessment as required and only 68 schools (79%) had reviewed the associated risk assessment as required.”
Conservative group leader Councillor Doran-Timson, who now chairs the Governance and Risk committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was extremely concerning that schools had failed with the audit on Administration of Medication. For only 50% of the schools to complete the annual medication self-assessment and for only 79% of schools to have reviewed the associated risk assessment as required is not good enough.”
He added: “This committee, four years ago, identified there were issues with schools and the controls of medication. Controlled drugs were unaccounted for and the records kept were nowhere near to the levels they should be.
“To be informed that schools are still not achieving the administrative standards they should be is a concern and not acceptable. I will be speaking with educational management to ensure this area is improved upon and the children of West Lothian are not at risk.”
Head of primary education, Greg Welsh said: "The medication in schools policy was significantly reviewed a number of years where a number of practices recorded in the audit were recorded as being unsound.
"In terms of the elements that require improvement on this occasion, in the actual administraton of medication to children and youg people there have been no faults or any concerns with regeards to the actual reciept of medication required.
"What has been highlighted however are a number of procedural issues happening in schools with reference to our own expectations through the medication in school policy procedure. The service has already taken significant action in addressing all of the schools that had not undertaken their self assessment and the reveiew of their annual risk assessment.
"These are sifgnificant and important processes however most of them have required no alteration sor adaptation to their pracrtices. However it as an requirement and procedure.
"Also as a service we have now reviewed our timescales in terms of compliance at indivudual schoool level. As a central service were able to monitor more quickly and speedily the schools that have not undertaken a procedural element and we can engagedirectly with the schools."
Councillor Doran-Thimson thanked Mr Welsh for the answer adding: "I'd be more reassured if we were a lot closer to 100% with regards to self assessment and I trust your team will ensure that improves as we move forward."
Mr Welsh answered: "Yes chair, and I can confirm the action date internally is the end of the academic session and we have already significantly addressed that."
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said : “We take the administration of medication in our schools very seriously and have robust procedures in place to ensure pupil safety.
“There have been no incidents involving medications reported, or near misses, at any West Lothian schools.
“All schools are required to update and review their Risk Assessment and Self-assessment to make sure their procedures are up-to-date.
At the time this report was presented, some schools had not completed this and updated the council’s system.
“This has now been addressed with all of the schools concerned, with a review being carried out of the timescales required to ensure schools have enough time to compete this task and if any they require any additional support.”
