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Health
14. Healthcare and therapy provided.
Medical team: Prior's Court School has a Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing
Manager and a nursing team who provide 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 Positive Behaviour Support Team and
Clinical Psychologist, provide 52-week support. Additional therapists such as a
Music Therapist are employed to meet specific needs.
Therapeutic intervention is provided through individualised plans for each young
person containing speech and language, occupational therapy and behaviour
goals. This is shared as a universal model and all staff engage in working on the
targets. The therapeutic services team also work with groups at a targeted level
and individuals for a specific intervention.
The therapy provision is integrated into the approach used by Prior's Court School
with targets set and success measured through individual plans as well as in the
educational progress achieved and measured for each young person.