Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Glasgow, has given his support to the Asthma UK Scotland campaign to allow Schools to carry emergency inhalers.

As one of the most common long-term conditions in children, thousands of young people experience asthma attacks in school and often they do not have easy access to their own inhaler when they need it. If a child’s inhaler is lost, broken or empty, the law (Medicines Act 1968) prevents schools from keeping a spare inhaler, or indeed any prescription medicines, on the premises.

As well as tabling a motion in the Scottish Parliament seeking to raise awareness and gather cross-party support for this issue, Bob Doris has written to Deputy First Minister, and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon to bring the issue to her attention and ask that the Scottish Government support the campaign to change the rules. He has also written to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Association (MRHA) themselves, to request that they reassess the situation and provide for the necessary exemption, albeit according to strict protocol.

Mr Doris said: “We know that kids sometimes forget their inhalers. They get lost, broken, run out or go past their use-by date. To combat this it makes sense for schools to have contingency inhaler kits that can be used in time of need.

“Several organisations can already do this, such as the armed forces, mountain rescue and the RNLI. We would like to see this extended to schools. 

“Written consent would of course have to be obtained from parents of children with asthma and the school would have to have a register of those children. Robust procedures would need to be put in place. This is a UK wide campaign by Asthma UK and I wish them well. Clearly I am keen to see progress made at a Scottish level in order to reassure my constituents who have children living with Asthma. I have therefore also directly contacted the MRHA this week with a view to them considering these proposals at the earliest opportunity.”

MOTION

Short Title: Emergency Inhalers in Scottish Schools

S4M-01694 Bob Doris () (Scottish National Party): That the Parliament welcomes the campaign supported by, among others, Asthma UK in Scotland that asks the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to make an exemption to the medicines regulations that would allow schools to hold emergency inhaler kits; understands that this would be in line with exemptions for other bodies such as the armed forces or mountain rescue services; recognises surveys suggesting that up to 60% of children with asthma have at some time found themselves at school without a working inhaler; believes that, although clear storage and safety procedures would have to be implemented in schools should an exemption be permitted, any such concerns can be overcome, and supports such an exemption to the regulations which, it considers, would ensure that children have access to an inhaler that could save a life in an emergency.