TA, responsability to child with Diabetes type 1?

ANNIEHAHA

Hi I work in a high school in this new year we have children with diabetes who need to check their levels and inject 4x a day.

One child has a book which his mum has written what to do depending on his sugar levels.

However I am not happy recording his levels and watching him decide what amount of insulin he thinks he needs and signing it all off.

This child has other learning issues and we have not had any training apart from basic first aid last year.

I am worried about the legal responsabilities for this case and am sure my 'job description' does not cover this!

All information would be appreciated. I am not against the condition but I dont like the position it puts me in.

paddedjohn

if youre not trained to do it then dont do it

MessyMare

I'd say duty of care- learn what to do. Or at least know what to do if it all goes wrong.

t0rt0ise

What exactly is it that you are signing for? If it's to say that you have seen the child test his blood and do his insulin then fair enough. But if it's to say that you have decided the dose or agree with the dose then no, don't sign it. It's not your job without training. It also needs to be documented somewhere at the school exactly what your role is and what you're signing for so that they can't come back later after an event and change their story.

SarEl

You are being asked to sign off on the fact that he has done these things. Regardless of his learning issues he is progressing towards adulthood and learning to manage his condition is part of his progression towards independence. He is learning to take responsibility for his condition and needs your support to do so. You are not responsible for checking these things - only for making sure that he does so.

an9i77

But if the OP is not responsible for checking these things what's the point of her being involved? If he has a high blood sugar, over injects his insulin and then has a hypoglycaemic attack which makes one feel very ill for a short period of time (and I am a diabetic too so know what I'm talking about) and the TA is not able to do anything about it because she's not trained then what is the point? She will just watch him be ill with no way of helping. OP if you had some training in what to do would you feel more comfortable getting involved, or would you still feel uncomfortable even with training? (eg from a diabetes specialist nurse)

callow

I do think you and several other staff should have some training in dealing with his condition. You need to know what to do if he has a low reading (and get a specific number). If it is low he will need to treat it (usually a sugary drink). The problem is that if it too low he will become confused and will not know what to do. You will also need to know when it has got to the stage to call an ambulance.

Speak to the school nurse and ask if she can give several key members of staff, ie you, several other TAs and his form tutor a quick session on diabetes.

jlj_2

You can also request that the paediatric diabetes nurse specialist comes into school to explain things for you and others and also provide a care plan. It may be that the school (first aider?) already has contact details, if not, ask the childs parents for them. If the child has learning needs maybe the SENCO could co-ordinate this.

ANNIEHAHA

We will be asking for a diabetic nurse to come in, his mother is coming in to speak to the SENCO manager.

We have to take him to an office and record his levels and then record how much insulin he has (this is his decision). we do not decide or help in the process

In the front of the book his mum has written specifics such as if its below/above so much then x amount of insulin

we have a st johns ambulance TA and she is not happy with the situation either.

My concern is the legal side if something happens and I was the last to deal with him, we are looking into disclaimers but I appreciate we have a duty of care, I just dont want to be in a bad situation involving someones child.

ohreally

ANNIEHAHA wrote: »

My concern is the legal side if something happens and I was the last to deal with him, we are looking into disclaimers but I appreciate we have a duty of care, I just dont want to be in a bad situation involving someones child.

The duty of care falls to the employer, it is them who should be accountable, not you, nor can they delegate that accountability either.

Find out who the appointed person is and ask them what mechanisms they have introduced to manage similar situations as its unlikely this will be the first diabetic to attend the school.

ANNIEHAHA

It would seem others with type 1 have been independant in the past and got on with what they needed to do.

This boy has to be 'supervised' when doing his insulin, and we note down the information


It is down to him to decide how much to inject but what if his wrong?
or we realise his wrong and step in?

I find it such a stressful situation with him due to him being autistic and am concerned if he does the wrong thing

we still have no training on it and none of us are happy with the responsability that comes with it


We are waiting for the union to get back to us to see where we stand