# Surrey diabetic pupil to get medical help at school



## Northerner (Aug 4, 2014)

A mother, whose daughter has type 1 diabetes, has won a fight to allow her daughter to receive specialist care at school.

Teresa Dodson said she was forced to teach her daughter Imogen at home after Surrey County Council refused to provide the medical help she needed at a mainstream school.

The council conceded before the case reached a tribunal. Lawyers say the local education authority must now put in place provisions to manage the five-year old's condition.

BBC London's Jean Mackenzie spoke to Imogen's mother, Teresa, and solicitor Imogen Jolley.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-28645754

(short video)


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## HOBIE (Aug 4, 2014)

Pleased my parents where not like that 48yrs ago. Is the parent going to work with the kids ? Life its not a rehursal


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## Redkite (Aug 6, 2014)

Good.  I hope this sets a precedent for other Local Authorities - it's high time Type 1 was recognised as a SEN, so that children are adequately supported in school.  My son had NO support (he was just 4 years old and couldn't recognise hypos or do his own tests, much less interpret the results - a BG of 2.8 could be read as 8.5 if the meter is upside down, so adult help is essential).  I had no choice but to go into school and test and inject him - this took away my own career options too!


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## AJLang (Aug 7, 2014)

Must admit I don't know what to think about this. I was diagnosed at 2, had no blood testing equipment, no specialist help, came top in my class every year at state school and at 13 got a scholarship to a private school. Maybe I was lucky but I certainly didn't have behavioural or cognitive difficults and it taught me to be independent.


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## Redkite (Aug 7, 2014)

Yes AJ but the treatments were less complex then.  You didn't need an injection at school, much less a pump with all the flexibility for corrections and temp basals.  There were no BG meters etc.  Children these days are on more complex treatment plans that need adult supervision.


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## HOBIE (Aug 7, 2014)

So are you saying we should go back 40 odd year Redkite ?  Glass syringes, panel pin needles(that you had years) no blood tests , A lot more problems. I know I sound like an old boy but !  Miles better today tech


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## Hanmillmum (Aug 7, 2014)

Well we were "asked" to consider returning to injections to make life easier for school work ( PCT at the time  - horrible woman, to put it mildly) Anyway my little one is well supported now for pumping at school, it took a year to sort but was worth it to remain on the pump esp with the coeliacs. Things are different in terms of treatment for kids with diabetes and that needs recognition aside from the previous regimes.


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## Redkite (Aug 7, 2014)

HOBIE said:


> So are you saying we should go back 40 odd year Redkite ?  Glass syringes, panel pin needles(that you had years) no blood tests , A lot more problems. I know I sound like an old boy but !  Miles better today tech



No Hobie, I'm saying the opposite!  All people with type 1 should be able to access the latest treatments and technologies, but young children can only use them with adult help and supervision, so it's essential that schools provide support.  They can't just leave their pump at home when they go to school!


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## Hanmillmum (Aug 7, 2014)

HOBIE said:


> So are you saying we should go back 40 odd year Redkite ?  Glass syringes, panel pin needles(that you had years) no blood tests , A lot more problems. I know I sound like an old boy but !  Miles better today tech



I don't think that is what is being said at all, frankly pumping is more complex and young children are pumping these days as it is much better for them. It seems quite narrow minded to suggest otherwise and for kids to just get on with it like in the good ole days. It is not a case of mollycoddling - young children can't be expected to pump insulin independently, it is far too risky and complex for a young mind to judge - quite hard at first for an adult too. Much easier for schools to have a child injected on a morning and topped up with biscuits all day as what was really suggested for us to do for their ease and to save ££££


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## Redkite (Aug 7, 2014)

Exactly Hanmillmum!  My son's old consultant wanted him to languish on two injections a day of mixed insulin because she said it would be "easier" for school.  It disgusts me that a medical professional should place a higher priority on avoiding inconvenience to school staff than on avoiding diabetic complications and a reduced life expectancy.


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## HOBIE (Aug 7, 2014)

I was diagnosed at the age of 4.Off to school before I was 5. My mother used to put 2 old pennies in a swan vesta match box. One for going on bus one for coming home in afternoon.   Teachers are there to teach & I WOULD NOT rely on them to push button with insulin.  Its a baby bit dodgy is it not.  What will happen when they are 16 & time to go to work.  I have NEVER been on the dole in my life & started work 2 days before my 16 birthday.  I know every ones different but


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## Redkite (Aug 7, 2014)

HOBIE said:


> I was diagnosed at the age of 4.Off to school before I was 5. My mother used to put 2 old pennies in a swan vesta match box. One for going on bus one for coming home in afternoon.   Teachers are there to teach & I WOULD NOT rely on them to push button with insulin.  Its a baby bit dodgy is it not.  What will happen when they are 16 & time to go to work.  I have NEVER been on the dole in my life & started work 2 days before my 16 birthday.  I know every ones different but



Teachers are there to teach, but the school has a duty of care and therefore should provide a member of staff (teaching assistant or office admin/first aider), who can support a young child in the classroom.  The staff will receive full training from the parents and DSN, and the child will have a written care plan to follow.  The level of support needed for the youngest children will be very high (1:1), but this will obviously change as the child grows older and becomes able to manage more aspects of their diabetes.  The capabilities of a 16 year old are obviously way different to those of a 4 year old!


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## HOBIE (Aug 7, 2014)

Speaking from experience !  I used to look carefully at Nurses who were filling syringes in the early days. I can see lots of stuff in the press blaming teachers for giving the so called wrong dose. Everyone makes a little mistake with what they are doing/exercise/running in the play ground.  As I have said I would not let a Teacher dealing with 30 odd kids make those choices. Do you ?


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## Sally71 (Aug 7, 2014)

My daughter is 8 now and already needs a lot less supervision doing her bolus at school than she did when she was 6.  At 6 she still got her numbers the wrong way round sometimes (e.g,would write 95 instead of 59 and couldn't see the difference, imagine getting that wrong when entering your carbs! ).  Doesn't do that any more and as long as I provide her with the number for that day she can now just get on with it herself.  She's not so good when something unexpected happens though, teacher might have to step in then, I've tried to cover as much as possible in her care plan.  And of course they have to be aware of what to do if she has a hypo in case it affects her brain functioning badly.  But I should think that by the time she leaves school at 16 she will be able to do it all herself and won't need me any more!


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## Sally71 (Aug 7, 2014)

HOBIE said:


> Speaking from experience !  I used to look carefully at Nurses who were filling syringes in the early days. I can see lots of stuff in the press blaming teachers for giving the so called wrong dose. Everyone makes a little mistake with what they are doing/exercise/running in the play ground.  As I have said I would not let a Teacher dealing with 30 odd kids make those choices. Do you ?



Yes because I can't be there every day to do it myself.  And I'm not perfect either and could just as easily make a mistake!  Although the teacher doesn't, calculate the dose, I provide the carb information, they just have to make sure the right buttons get pushed.

Did have a couple of mistakes made in the early days but sorted them all out easily enough.  Whatever you think about teachers they have adult brains and are therefore more able to cope with it than small children.  By the time the child grows up a bit they can take on more and more responsibility themselves so the teachers don't need to get involved so much then.


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## HOBIE (Aug 7, 2014)

There are some lovely teachers out there who care about there pupils. Pleased your daughter is getting good supervision. All I had was a "backie tin" with a few pastles in the teachers desk.  I remember my consultant at the time. He was like a grandad to me.    A brilliant bloke


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## Sally71 (Aug 7, 2014)

I think we have been lucky actually, so far all the staff at school have taken it all on board really well and just got on with it, and always phone me straight away if anything happens that they don't know how to deal with. Others are obviously not so lucky.  But none of us wants to have to deal with D, but we have no choice, and if we are capable of learning how to do it then I don't see why school staff can't - and they only have to do the easy bits and have clear instructions, the tricky bit of dose calculation is still left to me (and the pump...)   Daughter is already starting to learn bits about carb counting so I'm sure in another few years she'll be doing all that herself too


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## Tiggs1970 (Feb 11, 2015)

*Mum to Surrey girl type 1 diabetic since 16 months old*

Hi , I just found this thread regarding our broadcast on The BBC News and had to reply. Obviously you are not given the full story of how My daughter was treated. We had all sorts of issues from the DSN feeding the school wrong information on how to care for our daughter , which left our little one then just 4 in a very vulnerable situation as she had no hypo awareness, they did not want to treat her in class , or test and did not want to inject or do extra testing when activity was involved, even with a careplan in place it was very generic and there were to be no guarantees as to who would be looking after our 4 year old with only a staff ratio of 1 ta and 1 teacher to a class of 30 children, and no extra funding from the LA, the only way to get the support needed was to apply for a Statement of educational needs. I gave up work after 26 years as my daughter was just 16 months old at dx. The school had already had 2 type 1 diabetics collapse from low blood sugars and we could not take the risk that would happen to our then 4 year old that is why we had no choice but to remove and hE whilst we fought Surrey LEa and moved medical teams.  wE WON as Surrey conceded along with another 3 parents of type 1 children, my daughter is now in a lovely school and being supported by her 1:1 which she will probably only need until around year 3/4 . If I had to fight again which I probably will to keep her support in place I would do it all over again so that my daughter can be safe and happy and healthy and take part in full school life safely and with the peace of mind that her health and access to her education can remain the same along with her peers. Type 1 has been proven to be a SEN and in children dx under the age of 5 when the brain is in it's crucial stage of development is when they are more likely to suffer from cognitive effects of type 1. I hope this sheds some light on our fight ........


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## Redkite (Feb 11, 2015)

Tiggs1970, I think it's absolutely brilliant that you stood up for your daughter's right to be fully supported in school, I'm really pleased for you . This is how it should be for all children with diabetes.


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## Northerner (Feb 11, 2015)

Hi Tiggs1970, welcome to the forum  Thank you for providing the details behind the report. I am so pleased to hear of the good outcome for you and your daughter! It is a shame that you had to fight in the first place, but you did a great job that hopefully means others will not have to endure the same difficulties in the future


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## Copepod (Feb 11, 2015)

Welcome to the forum, Tiggs1970.

Very good to hear your full explanation of situation. 

Is there any sign of your daughter's hypo awareness returning? As she gets older, she'll be able to take over aspects of her care, gradually building to total independence by the time she leaves school.


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