Spare Auto-Injectors For Schools

The new legislation will be in force from the 1st October 2017 enabling emergency adrenaline auto-injectors to be available in schools (similar to the arrangement currently in place for asthma inhalers).  Allergy UK have a new and helpful website for parents, pupils and school staff explaining more about this new system and offering loads of helpful advice to people wanting more information about allergy and anaphylaxis.

The new auto-injectors are for children who are known to have a history of anaphylaxis and have already been prescribed an auto-injector. These spare auto-injectors are for emergency treatment when their device is unavailable; because it is out of date, not immediately to hand, faulty… or they require an additional dose following the administration of their own auto-injector. This new legislation allows school staff to administer an emergency AAI to any child who has been assessed as being at risk of anaphylaxis. The legislation is not compulsory for schools.

Schools in the UK can now buy auto-injectors from pharmacies without a prescription and to keep these as spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) for emergency use. AAIs deliver a potentially life-saving dose of adrenaline in the event of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).