PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Pupils: Adrenaline Auto-injectors (27 November 2017)

To provide specific support for pupils with allergies, the Department of Health recently released new guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) in schools. This follows the publication of the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017, which allows schools to hold spare AAIs, without a prescription, for use in emergencies. The revised regulations came into effect on 1 October 2017.

Schools are not required to hold AAIs. It is a discretionary change enabling schools to do so if they wish. Any AAIs held by a school should be considered a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAI. The government has not made a recent assessment of the level of availability of AAIs in schools.