A CONCERNED father is considering legal action after his son had a fit on a school bus and council staff were unable to administer vital drugs.

Will Clarke

A CONCERNED father is considering legal action after his son had a fit on a school bus and council staff were unable to administer vital drugs.

Peter Messenger, from Monks Eleigh, near Sudbury, began his campaign to change Suffolk County Council rules after his son Alasdair was hospitalised following a seizure last September.

Mr Messenger said many other pupils were at risk on school transport because drivers and escorts were not properly trained.

He insisted Suffolk County Council was obliged to train school transport staff under its own guidelines.

He said: “I have been hoping for the past nine months that the council, as a matter of urgency, would inform parents, in a letter, of the risk those children with life-threatening conditions face when they travel to and from school on a school bus.

“I believe that the council's advice booklet disguises the risks. Sadly, many will, in my opinion, easily overlook the life threatening risk that faces them twice daily.

“The county council is failing in its legal requirements in respect of Alasdair and hundreds of children in Suffolk who carry emergency kits.

“I am content to leave the matter with lawyers. However, I have been drawn to respond to the council's booklet because, surely, given what is so clearly written in law and various government guideline papers, the time has come to provide an escort on Alasdair's school bus who has been trained to use Epistatus (the equipment he needs) - and provide parents with all the facts.”

Ian Brown, head of school infrastructure at the council said: “We consider that we are fulfilling our legal duties. We are not required to provide medically trained staff on school transport.

“Our drivers and escorts do receive training on disability awareness and know what procedures and protocols to follow in the event of an emergency.

“This does not, however, include administering medicines to children or young people. In that type of situation we call on the services of medical experts.”