Doctors in Secondary Schools

Policy

This policy provides the operational guidance and requirements for schools participating in the Doctors in Secondary Schools program.

Summary

• Schools participating in the Doctors in Secondary Schools program must adhere to the Operational guide (DOCX) (staff login required). The guide sets out requirements for:
  • roles and responsibilities of the school program lead
  • school council responsibility for entering into a licence agreement with the partnering medical centre
  • management of the program’s infrastructure and cleaning requirements.
• Schools and their partnering medical centre must work together to deliver the most effective service that meets the health and wellbeing needs of students.
• The consent and confidentiality requirements for students participating in the program are set out in the Guidance tab.

Details

The Doctors in Secondary Schools program funds general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) to attend 100 Victorian government secondary schools up to one day a week to provide primary healthcare to students.

For more information on the program, visit the Doctors in Secondary Schools webpage.

All secondary school students enrolled in a participating school can access an adolescent-health trained GP, if they provide the required consent for the services. Participating schools, students and their parents/carers will not incur any out-of-pocket expenses for student consultations with the GP.

For further information on health and wellbeing for students in Victorian government schools, please refer to: Health Care Needs.

Operational guide

The Operational guide (DOCX) (staff login required) provides an outline of the high level requirements that schools must follow when implementing the Doctors in Secondary Schools program.

Schools are required to develop locally appropriate procedures and protocols to guide the implementation and management of the program.

Consent and confidentiality

Schools must also follow the department’s consent and confidentiality requirements (in the Guidance tab) when implementing the Doctors in Secondary Schools program.

The program recognises that:

• any student who wants to see the GP will be permitted to book an appointment
• the GP will decide whether the young person is mature enough to consent to medical treatment or whether parent/carer consent is needed – as is the case with all GPs in the community
• the right for a young person’s health information to be kept confidential will be respected unless the disclosure is with the consent of the young person or it is otherwise permitted by law – as is the case with all GP practice in the community.

Information for parents and students is available in the Consent and Confidentiality Policy in the Guidance tab.

School program lead

Schools must appoint a leading teacher or assistant principal as a School Program Lead (SPL) to hold overall responsibility for program coordination for their school. Participating schools are funded the equivalent of a 0.2 FTE Leading Teacher Entry Level pay rate through the Student Resource Package for the SPL’s time spent on the program.

Further information about the funding for this position is available in the Student Resource Package – Targeted Initiatives policy. A SPL’s key roles and responsibilities include:

• providing leadership in the school regarding the implementation of the program
• supporting the GP and PN to deliver primary health care to students
• collaborating with the PN to ensure effective management of the service including making of appointments and supporting maintaining students’ confidentiality
• understanding and applying the consent and confidentiality requirements that apply to the GP, the PN and the school and, where required, support the GP/PN to obtain consent from parents
• integrating the GP and PN service into the school’s broader health and wellbeing programs
• supporting the GP and PN to work collaboratively with the department’s Area-based Health, Wellbeing Specialist Support Staff, including Secondary School Nurses
• providing education and leadership around parent/school community involvement in the program
• ensuring compliance to relevant privacy legislation and providing a child safe environment in accordance with the Child Safe Standards and Mandatory Reporting requirements
• building a positive relationship with the local medical centre and facilitating partnerships with community health providers for the benefit of students.

Further information on how to run a high-performing program is available in the best practice guide on the Resources tab.

Contractual requirements

While no funding or payment is exchanged between participating schools and medical centres, schools must have a licence agreement with their partnering medical centre to authorise GPs and PNs to work on school grounds. This is the responsibility of the school council.

The school licence agreement is available on the Resources tab.

Further information is available in the Operational guide (DOCX) (staff login required).

Infrastructure

Participating schools are provided with modern fit-for-purpose GP consultation facilities, as set out in the Operational guide (DOCX) (staff login required).

Schools are responsible for cleaning and maintenance of these facilities, including the provision of appropriate waste disposal bins. Refer to Facilities cleaning and maintenance on the Guidance tab for additional information.

Related policies

• Duty of Care
• Health Care Needs
• Mature Minors and Decision-Making
• Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations (includes link to child protection – mandatory reporting e-learning module)
• Student Engagement
• Suicide Prevention and Response
• Student Resource Package – Targeted Initiatives
• Student Sexual Offending and Problem Sexual Behaviour
• Student Support Services

Relevant legislation

• Children Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic)
• Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)
• Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic)