# Insulin at school



## Vegpot (Mar 1, 2016)

Hi
My son's DSN recently told us that if insulin ie in a Novo pen is left lying around at school ie in an unattended lunchbag or something, then the school are now required to phone the police.  Is this correct, what regulations is it and how would a school be expected to abide by that? It has resulted in my son having to have a separate pen for home and school because he has left his lunchbag at school before now.


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## Robin (Mar 1, 2016)

If this is the case, it would seem to involve a massive waste of police time and resources! Maybe ask your DSN for chapter and verse on where she got the info, what regulations stipulate this, etc.
 I can see that school might not want insulin left unattended in case someone silly gets hold of it, but it can't be that hard for the school to identify whose it is, if they do find it unattended.


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## Vegpot (Mar 1, 2016)

I know, his pen and stuff are all labelled as well, but it's too risky apparently if things get left!  I just wondered if there is a new regulation or something that anyone else knows about.


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## Northerner (Mar 1, 2016)

I wonder if the people at the Diabetes UK Careline know? They can be contacted at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Careline/


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## Vegpot (Mar 1, 2016)

Thanks for that, I've just called and they're getting someone from the schools helpline to call me back, it may take a few days but it isn't a panic!  I will report back what they tell me - hopefully they should be aware of any 'tightening up' of any regulations or guidelines regarding insulin at school.


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## Austin Mini (Mar 1, 2016)

My son left his pen every day with the headmasters office, no problem whatsoever but that was the 1990s I expect the EU regs have caught up now


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## Sally71 (Mar 1, 2016)

My daughter is pumping but we do keep an emergency back-up pen at school just in case of pump failure.  As far as I know it's just kept in the teacher's drawer in the classroom, not even locked, and nobody has complained or even commented about it.  Their only concern was whether it should be refrigerated or not.  We only bring it home in the holidays to change the cartridge!


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## Vegpot (Mar 1, 2016)

My son was carrying his round with him at the school's discretion which was OK until he started forgetting and mislaying his stuff, and even then the school didn't say anything in particular, but the DSN did and then this other arrangement was made where his pen is kept in the medical room.  But it was the fact that she said the regulations or something had tightened up, and the police thing, which I wasn't aware of.


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## Vegpot (Mar 1, 2016)

I just got a call from the schools helpline people, and they hadn't heard of this particular guideline, but they are going to look into it


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## Redkite (Mar 4, 2016)

Sounds ludicrous!  It's not a police matter, no crime would have been committed.  However, it IS a potential health and safety issue for the school, so it's a good idea to have protocols in place to prevent anyone else getting hold of the injection pen.


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## Milsey moo (Apr 24, 2016)

Hi, I used to have to take my pen to school but now I have a pump. When I used the pen at school I used to hand it in a box with the needles in and put it in the office, so that when I needed to use it I went there and sat down where no one else could stare and do it there. 
                           Hope this helped.


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## cherrypie (Apr 24, 2016)

Have you read this article?  Might be something to do with the reaction from schools.
http://www.ianblenkharn.com/?tag=insulin-pen


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## Robin (Apr 24, 2016)

Journalistic expertise at its best again! Since when has a diabetic pen been used to test glucose?


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## Milsey moo (Apr 24, 2016)

Hadn't read that and it made me think why would they want to go round stabbing pupils with it in the first place.


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## Ljc (Apr 24, 2016)

Robin said:


> Journalistic expertise at its best again! Since when has a diabetic pen been used to test glucose?


I was thinking the same, they probably meant the finger prick device


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## trophywench (Apr 24, 2016)

Well I expect the police would get involved if it was a deadly substance like say arsenic.

Bearing in mind I could quite easily murder Pete since he's fast asleep in the chair and I have about a gallon of insulin (well not quite that much) in the fridge and any number of syringes etc lying about - maybe they treat it much like any 'dangerous' drug - except if they did, why don't we have to sign 'the book' when we get it?


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## robert@fm (Apr 25, 2016)

Robin said:


> Journalistic expertise at its best again! Since when has a diabetic pen been used to test glucose?


Just check the end of that article. The "source" is notorious adult comic the _Daily Mail_ — what do you expect? 

And I seem to recall that we ran this story when it first appeared, about 13 months ago...


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## Northerner (Apr 25, 2016)

robert@fm said:


> ...The "source" is notorious adult comic the _Daily Mail_ ...


Teehee!


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