Benedict Blythe: EpiPens to be stocked in schools for emergency use after death of five year old boy

New statutory requirements aimed at safeguarding children with allergies in schools have been welcomed by a mother whose five-year-old son tragically died from an allergic reaction.

Helen Blythe, whose son Benedict passed away in 2021, expressed her relief, stating the new measures would make it “less likely for other families to go through what we’ve been through”. The government has announced these mandatory requirements, replacing previous non-statutory guidance.

Currently under consultation, the proposals mandate compulsory allergy awareness training for all school staff, the stocking of spare allergy pens for emergency use, and the implementation of comprehensive plans to support pupils with medical conditions.

The requirements, which will come into force in September, come after campaigning from the National Allergy Strategy Group and families, including Helen and Peter Blythe.

The guidance will say schools should have individual healthcare plans in place for pupils with medical conditions. For a child with epilepsy, for example, this plan should cover seizure types and what to do in an emergency.

Mrs Blythe told the Press Association: “This is something we’ve campaigned for for a long time as a family. It’s been a hard campaign, both work-wise and emotionally.

“These measures will make it less likely for other families to go through what we’ve been through. And for Benedict his memory will be etched into the history books and into time.

“We’ve always said that his life mattered and his death should matter too. And in this it does, it’s his legacy, and that means a lot.”

The Blythe family have been campaigning for the introduction of Benedict’s Law to mandate allergy safety in schools for four years.

The new protections were not in place when Benedict joined his school, Mr and Mrs Blythe said.

Minister for early education Olivia Bailey said: “No parent should have to send their child to school worried that a life-threatening allergic reaction won’t be handled swiftly.

“We have listened to the families and organisations who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, and we are acting.

“These new requirements will give parents the confidence that every school has the training, the plans and the equipment in place to keep their child safe.”

Benedict died after accidental exposure to cow’s milk protein at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.

An inquest found the school did not follow all the measures in place to prevent the fatal anaphylactic reaction, and that there were risks of contamination and delays in administering an adrenaline pen.

A prevention of future deaths report said initial investigations into Benedict’s death focused on him having eaten a McVitie’s biscuit that he had brought in from home on the day he collapsed.

It later became clear the biscuit did not cause Benedict’s anaphylactic reaction, and an inquest found he had probably been given cow’s milk protein in his bottle during break time.

In the report, coroner Elizabeth Gray said the failure to retain Benedict’s vomit or preserve evidence at the scene meant samples could not be tested, which could have helped to identify what caused Benedict’s reaction at an earlier stage.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, welcomed the new guidance, but said schools need funding to make sure they have the staffing capacity to carry out duties and can offer specialist health support where it is needed.

Some specialist health support where more complex provision is required cannot be delegated to school staff even with training, he added, and schools need clarification about what to do in these situations.

“Expecting schools to stock ‘spare’ adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations appears a sensible step, as is training staff to use them effectively,” he said.

“However, the Government need to be confident that there are sufficient stocks maintained across the country to ensure each setting can keep a sufficient share of adrenaline auto-injectors.”