Medical Arrangements

General

The Medical Officer, Dr Anna Collings is a member of the town practice and runs GP-led surgeries at the College during term time.

The Medical Centre (“Sani”) is continually staffed by a team of fully trained nursing staff. Parents wishing to discuss matters with the Medical Officers are asked to ring the Medical Centre (01672 892435) to arrange a mutually convenient time. Letters should be addressed to: The College Medical Officer, The Medical Centre, Marlborough College, Marlborough, Wilts, SN8 1PA.

When a pupil is admitted to the Medical Centre and is likely to remain there overnight, parents will be informed, usually by telephone.

All new pupils will have a medical examination with the Medical Officer or her deputy and any significant findings will be notified to parents.

Strict confidentiality is maintained by all members of the Medical Centre Staff. Such confidentiality can only be breached if it is required in the interests of the health of the individual or the community as a whole, or if there is a legal requirement to do so. Consent will always be sought before this is done.

Registration

Since more of a pupil’s time is spent at school than at home, all boarders must be registered on the Medical Officer’s list under the provisions of the National Health Service.

No pupil should transfer from the Medical Officer’s list while he/she is at school. If medical attention is needed during the holidays, pupils should consult their family doctors as temporary residents or private patients. When seeking medical attention outside of term time, please make it clear that it is on a ‘temporary resident’ basis so pupils are not re-registered.

Day pupils may remain registered with their own GPs but will be seen in the Medical Centre when necessary as temporary residents.

Medical and Surgical Treatment

Primary care and routine treatments are carried out at the Medical Centre. Parents and House staff are not routinely informed when a pupil attends the morning GP surgery (or the Medical Centre at other times) though pupils are encouraged to keep their parents and House staff informed and up to date about their health and welfare. Pupils may take responsibility for their own routine prescription medication, provided they are judged by the GP to be

competent to do so. Where a pupil is judged competent to self-medicate, the medication must be kept locked away in the pupil’s room. Parents must inform the Medical Centre about any medication a pupil is bringing back to school. X-ray and pathological examinations and a range of specialist consultations are available under the National Health Service. Nursing care is available in the Medical Centre 24 hours a day. In certain unforeseen circumstances extra nursing care may be requested. The cost for this may be passed to the parents at the Master’s discretion. The cost of auxiliary nursing care for a pupil who is intoxicated will always be passed to parents.

Pupils requiring hospital treatment will normally go to The Great Western Hospital, Swindon (01793 604020). Some parents may prefer their son or daughter to have private health care. This can be arranged in consultation with the parents. Parents may wish to arrange private health insurance to cover the cost.

The Sani has a small number of in-patient beds to which patients can be admitted (11 in total). In the event of sick pupils who, in the opinion of the doctors, are likely to need in-patient care for 48 hours or more, it is likely that parents will be asked to collect their children for care at home.

Dental Treatment

Regular visits to the dentist two or three times a year are important throughout adolescence. We expect that parents will arrange such visits to the family dentist in the holidays, as visits in term-time often interfere with important school activities; only emergency dental treatment will be carried out at Marlborough. Orthodontist treatment and private dental treatment should be arranged by parents directly with the dentist concerned.

Inoculations

Inoculations are given routinely as follows:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio are offered at about the age of 13/14 years; • Influenza inoculation: this is given in the Michaelmas Term, ONLY to pupils who are recommended clinically to receive the vaccination under the Department of

Health guidelines. Other pupils may obtain the vaccine subject to availability but this may incur a fee. • Meningitis ACWY, according to NHS/PHE vaccination programmes.

Shell pupils will be offered the HPV vaccine if they have not received the full course by the time they start at the College. This is done on a catch up basis and the Medical Centre will contact parents if this is required.

Inoculation for holiday travel can be organised by the Medical Centre. Please complete the Vaccination Travel Risk Assessment Form on the Parent Portal. There is a charge for some

inoculations. The Medical Centre should be informed of any vaccinations given by other medical authorities or travel centres.

Illness or Infectious Contact During the Holidays

If a pupil has an operation, accident, severe illness, immunisation or special treatment during the holidays, parents should ensure that the Medical Officer is informed on or before their return to school via email at sani@marlboroughcollege.org. The information should be given in a letter or report from the parent, family doctor or consultant, giving details of medicines or treatment prescribed or recommended.

In the event of holiday contact with diphtheria, polio, typhoid or paratyphoid fever, bacillary dysentery, salmonella, or meningococcal infection the pupil should be kept at home until the Medical Officer has been consulted. Following exposure to anyone suffering from other infectious diseases (e.g. Covid-19, chickenpox or mumps) the pupil may return to school at the beginning of term but the Medical Officer should be informed if the child has not already had the disease. It is important that the Medical Officer should be told if a pupil has been exposed to the risk of ebola, malaria or other tropical or infectious disease. Anti-malarial prophylaxis should be continued for as long as instructed after visiting, even briefly, a malarial area.

Counselling

The counsellors see pupils by appointment and can be contacted through the Medical Centre, or directly by pupils or parents. Contact details are in the Almanac, and are widely publicised to pupils. The College’s counselling team is led by Katia Houghton.

Please note that the College counselling service generally provides support on an occasional or short term basis only (up to six sessions). Parents whose children require longer term ongoing counselling, or who join the College with a pre-existing need for ongoing counselling, should make arrangements for access to counselling on a private basis or seek referral through local CAMHS provision. The College can help to facilitate access and offer advice on private counselling.

Psychiatric Services

If the Medical Officer or her deputies wish to refer a pupil for psychiatric assessment parents will be informed. As pupils are registered with Dr Collings they are eligible for NHS care including psychiatry, but unfortunately the current structures for provision of such services by CAMHS teams (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) rarely enable a