Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines in Schools and Nurseries

At Trinity Medical Centre, we often receive requests to prescribe over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, or teething gels for children attending nurseries or schools. These are generally not appropriate for a GP prescription, as national guidance recommends that these items should be supplied by parents and administered by staff at schools or nurseries. 

Why GPs Do Not Prescribe OTC Medicines for School Use

According to NHS and Department of Health guidance — supported by the British Medical Association (BMA) — GPs are not obliged to issue prescriptions for medications that are available to buy without a prescription, even if a school or nursery requests one.

Many OTC medicines are available for a low cost at pharmacies and supermarkets, and schools or early years settings should have policies in place to safely administer them if needed.

What Parents Should Do

If your child needs OTC medication while at school or nursery:

  • You can supply the medicine directly to the school or nursery, clearly labelled with your child’s name and dosage instructions.
  • You should complete a parental consent form for the school or setting to give the medication as needed.
  • This includes common items such as calpol, antihistamines, teething gels, and topical creams.

Schools and nurseries are advised to follow the Department for Education’s statutory guidance for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

When Might a Prescription Be Appropriate?

In general, GPs will not issue prescriptions for medications that are:

  • Used for short-term relief (such as teething, fever, hay fever or cold symptoms).
  • Available to buy over the counter.

However, prescriptions may be appropriate if your child:

  • Has a long-term condition that requires regular medication (e.g., asthma, epilepsy).
  • Needs a medicine not available over the counter or that requires special licensing or monitoring.
  • Has a specific clinical need that has been assessed and discussed with their GP.

School & Nursery Responsibilities

Schools and early years settings are responsible for:

  • Having a clear policy for administering medicines.
  • Keeping a record of all medications given.
  • Ensuring staff are trained to administer medications safely.

Key Takeaways for Parents

✅ You can supply OTC medication to school/nursery yourself.
✅ A prescription is not needed for short-term use of common medicines.
✅ Complete the school’s permission form with clear instructions.
❌ GPs are not required to prescribe OTC medicines just because the school requests it.

If you are unsure about your child’s symptoms or which medicines are appropriate, you can contact your local pharmacy or speak with us for clinical advice.

Home Visits

Home Visit Policy

At Trinity Medical Centre we are committed to providing quality healthcare to all our patients, including those who are unable to attend the practice in person. This policy outlines the eligibility criteria and process for requesting home visits.

Eligibility for Home Visits

Patients are eligible for home visits if they meet the following criteria:

  1. Classified as Housebound:
    • A housebound patient is defined as someone who is unable to leave their home due to a medical or physical condition. This includes individuals who are bed-bound, require significant assistance to leave their home, or whose health would be compromised by traveling to the surgery.
  2. Reside Within Our Catchment Area:
    • To ensure continuity of care, home visits are provided to patients whose address falls within our practice’s catchment area.

When Home Visits Are Provided

  • Home visits will be arranged when clinically appropriate and required, based on an assessment of the patient’s medical condition.
  • They are intended for patients whose condition makes it impossible or unsafe for them to attend the surgery.

Requesting a Home Visit

  • Patients, carers, or family members should contact the surgery as early as possible, ideally before 10:00 AM, to request a home visit. This allows our medical team to plan and prioritise visits for the day.
  • When making a request, our reception staff may ask for details of the patient’s symptoms and condition. This helps the clinical team assess the urgency and necessity of the visit.

Important Notes

  • Home visits are not a substitute for hospital care or emergency services. In the event of a medical emergency, patients should call 999 immediately.
  • Patients who can attend the surgery, either independently or with assistance, will be expected to do so, as our facilities are better equipped for certain examinations and treatments.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us provide the best possible care to all our patients. If you have any questions about our home visit policy, please contact the surgery directly.

Fear of Flying Information

Trinity Medical Centre is unable to prescribe benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) to patients for fear of flying. Many other GP practices have a similar policy.

It may be in the past this has been issued for our patients. Current guidance highlights significant risks Prescribing these drugs is not recommended any more for these reasons

1) Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.

2) Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than four hours.

3) Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and in aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.

4) According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed)  in phobia. Your doctor is taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.

5) Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.

6) Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines and we have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com Tel 0203 8131644

British Airways www.flyingwithconfidence.com  Tel 01252 793250

Virgin www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk  Tel 01423 714900

Fly And Be Calm™ is an instant download and comes with a money back guarantee (Guarantee does not apply to app versions).6 MP3 tracks which include instructions, the fear removal tool and two hypnotic tracks. The least expensive option, takes very little time, works on the root cause of your problem. If you are not 100% happy you can get a full refund. https://flyandbecalm.co.uk/

Breast Screening

Our practice is proud to support the NHS Breast Screening Programme. If you’ve been invited for breast screening, we hope you’ll choose to have it.

Non-urgent advice:

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK and your risk of getting breast cancer goes up as you get older. About 4 out of 5 breast cancers are found in women over 50 years old. Screening helps to find breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel.

If you have questions about breast screening or need information about breast screening in another language, the link below should help you:

Breast Screening Leaflets (in various languages)

You can also contact us here at the practice and chat with one of our practice nurses. They’ll be happy to help.

Social Prescribing

Live Well Wakefield provide social and practical support for the health and well-being of patients.  Some of the things they can help with are:

  • Housing options – Navigating the housing system, how to apply for a property and aids and adaptations to make the current home fit the client
  • Advice around maximising income – Discussing benefit options, exploring employment options and referrals to the Department for Work and Pensions
  • Support around the Health and Social care system – How to access support, criteria for care and what your rights to care are
  • What to do if you’re struggling with a caring role – Support you are entitled to and where you can get extra support and guidance from
  • Supporting people who need to access specialised services – particularly around mental health and substance/alcohol misuse.
  • Providing opportunities to those who may feel isolated by society or feel ready to embrace a new challenge and those who need knowledge and support on what is available and how to access that support.
  • Support for people to maintain their independence- Helping to access services and support such as aids and adaptations, safety equipment and meal delivery services.

Click here for referral.

Long Term Condition Monitoring

Patients with long term conditions such as Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension and other chronic illnesses should have regular reviews at the surgery to ensure the condition is being managed well and to maintain good health.

These checks will primarily be carried out by a Healthcare Assistant who will further consult with a specialist Nurse or GP if there are any causes for concern.

These checks are also part of any medication reviews needed and a pharmacist or GP will review the results and determine if your medication can continue safely and for how long.

It is important that patients continue with this monitoring as often as needed to try and prevent any conditions from getting worse.

If you think you are due an annual review please contact us using our Online Consultations.

Vitamin D

Have you had a blood test that has shown low levels of Vitamin D?

Here are a few tips of how to up your daily intake…

  • Eating foods that are naturally high in vitamin D, for example:
    • Tuna, mackerel, and salmon (not tinned) – as they are high in good fats and oils
    • Orange juice & soy milk
    • Cereals
    • Mushrooms
    • Cheese
    • Egg yolks
  • Having enough exposure to sun light, around 20-25 minutes in summer around 10 am – 3pm
  • Purchasing a vitamin supplement; the recommended daily intake is 1000 units. Please consult your pharmacist or local health food store.

References:

For more information about Vitamin D intake, take a look at the link below;

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx

https://patient.info/bones-joints-muscles/osteoporosis-leaflet/vitamin-d-deficiency

Weight Management

Whether you want to lose weight or be active, the Aspire Health Programme brought to you by Wakefield Council, can help you in becoming healthier and will support you to make changes that will lead to improvements in your overall health. 

There are a range of options available to suit your needs taking into consideration any existing health and medical conditions you may have.  

All members of the Aspire Health team will provide you with a professional and confidential service and help you on your journey to improved overall health.

Click here for referral.