Asthma Inhalers at Schools

Approximately 20 children of school age in England and Wales die every year from asthma and most deaths occur before the child reaches hospital. In 2012, Asthma UK made enquiries as to whether the law could be changed to allow schools to keep a spare reliever inhaler for use in an emergency.

Since 1st October 2014, the Human Medicines (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014 now allows primary and secondary schools in England to obtain salbutamol inhalers for the treatment of acute asthma attacks in children.

Schools can now buy inhalers and spacers (the plastic funnels which make it easier to deliver asthma medicine to the lungs) from a pharmaceutical supplier on the written request of the head teacher or principle.

A PDF can be obtained from The Department of Health.  Click here to download.