Pupil support staff asked to carry out medical procedures with minimal training

Pupil support assistants working in additional support needs classrooms across Scotland are being asked to carry out dozens of medical procedures, including changing stoma bags and performing intermittent catheterisation.

One member of staff, whom STV News is calling Linda to protect her identity, said the role has changed significantly in the five years she’s been in the job, and she has often considered leaving.

She is expected to be able to complete around 30 different procedures, which she has received minimal training for.

Linda said: “Nurses come in and show us what to do on a stuffed animal – but that’s not realistic.”

She says the work can be physically challenging and sometimes dangerous, which has seen some of her colleagues leave the profession.

“Staff are being scratched, kicked, punched, people are getting headbutted. We’ve had staff who have been off with concussion.”

A major concern is what might happen if a procedure goes wrong.

“We are frightened that if we carry out these procedures, if we’re not appropriately trained, that something might go wrong and (we) face the consequences, which we are quite scared about,” Linda added.

GMB, the union, represents a number of pupil support assistants (PSAs) across the country.

Senior organiser Keir Greenaway said staff should be getting more detailed training and better pay if they are to be expected to take on such tasks.

He said: “We hear about it absolutely all the time, there’s not one council we’ve not heard it from.

“It’s not necessarily every pupil support assistant that has to do this every single day but there’s no one council that’s removed from this.

“Our members will always try and help a pupil, help a student, and so they’ll make sure that they don’t go without. But they need the proper training so that they feel comfortable and confident doing the procedures they’re being asked to do.

“But also that they’re getting paid properly for it.”

The Scottish Government said it recognised PSA workloads are “complicated and complex” and can even vary across local authority areas.

A spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government recognises and appreciates the dedication and hard work of our pupil support assistants.

“That is why we published guidance on supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools. It notes school management and healthcare teams should be aware of the local arrangements in place for staff training.

“Both the school management team, and the staff undertaking training themselves, must be satisfied this training provides them with sufficient knowledge, understanding, confidence and competence in relation to appropriate procedures for their role.

“In addition to the £15m we provide to local authorities each year for Pupil Support Assistants, we are investing an additional £29m this year to support the ASN workforce, in a context of record spend of over £1bn by local authorities on ASN in 2023-24.”