Plans for schools to hold spare adrenaline auto-injector continue to progress positively

The plans for an amendment to legislation which will allow all state schools to hold a spare adrenaline injector for use in case of emergencies continues to progress positively. We have been informed today by the Department of Health that this change is to come into effect in October of this year.

In the meantime, there will be a public consultation and the development of a robust training programme for school staff.

Background

This campaign’s objective is for a change in the law to allow schools, pre-schools and nurseries to hold generic adrenaline auto-injectors, and ensure they have sufficient trained staff to operate the device in case of an emergency.

There are currently three brands of adrenaline auto-injector available in the UK – Emerade, EpiPen and Jext. They are prescribed for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis.

In the UK, up to 6% of children and young people have a food allergy. Children and young people diagnosed with allergy are frequently prescribed adrenaline auto-injector devices in case of a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. Although the majority of children with anaphylaxis respond to a single adrenaline auto-injector, some children may require a further dose and it is possible that devices may misfire or be used incorrectly. Therefore, within schools, children at risk of anaphylaxis should have access to two adrenaline auto-injectors at all times.

This campaign is being led by the Anaphylaxis Campaign alongside Allergy UK, The British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI), British Paediatric Allergy Immunity and Infection Group (BPAIIG) and is supported by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.