23
Health
14. Healthcare and therapy provided.
Medical team: Prior's Court School has an on-site Nursing team which provides
medical support for young people, support staff training and liaise with GPs and
local surgeries, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and other
external medical and dental services.
The majority of young people are registered with the local GP. Young people visit
the local dentist regularly and there are regular visits by an optician. Parents are
kept informed of all visits and treatments.
We have clear and robust policies for the administration of medication. Staff
receive full and comprehensive training as well as a competency-based
assessment by a qualified person before being able to administer medication. To
meet young people's specific health needs, staff may undertake specific
additional training and may also support young people in attending consultants
or accessing hospitals or other specialist services.
A range of strategies are used to motivate and encourage young people to eat a
balanced diet, and care is taken to ensure a balanced diet is provided. A dietician
provides advice on nutrition for young people who require input. All food is freshly
prepared daily either in Prior's Court School's kitchen or by young people and staff
in their home. Prior's Court School supports young people's cultural dietary needs
as well as a variety of diets such as gluten and casein-free diets (with the written
consent and agreement of the young person's medical consultant).
A dentistry clinic is available at West Berkshire Community Hospital every month.
A consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from Berkshire Healthcare NHS
Foundation Trust visits the site fortnightly to hold a clinic. A dietician from
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust visits monthly.
Therapy team: the team of on-site therapists includes Speech and Language
Therapists, Occupational Therapists, a Music Therapist, and a Positive Behaviour
Support team, provide 52-week support. Additional therapists are resourced to
meet specific needs.
Therapeutic intervention is provided through the wave model, alongside the PBS
Framework. Everyone at Prior's Court is responsible for universal and tier 1 input,
which involves consistently using and embedding strategies and skills within
everything young people do. Our Therapy and Multi-Disciplinary teams make
recommendations and upskill staff to empower them to take responsibility for
this level of input.