Spare adrenaline pens in schools

Keeping spare adrenaline devices is a guidance expectation, not a legal duty in itself today. The DfE statutory guidance "Allergy safety in schools" expects schools to keep them, and your allergy safety policy should explain how you use, manage and store them.

Which devices count

The DfE guidance counts both adrenaline auto-injectors and adrenaline nasal sprays as adrenaline devices. Schools in England have been able to obtain spare auto-injectors without a prescription for use in emergencies since 2017. Follow the guidance on choosing devices suitable for your pupils.

Storage

• Keep spares in pairs, and consider more than one pair on large or split sites
• Place them so that no pupil is more than five minutes from a device
• Keep them accessible, not locked away, and clearly labelled
• Make sure every member of staff knows where they are

Checks and records

• Record every device: type, strength as printed, expiry date and location
• Check expiry dates on a regular schedule and record each check
• Plan how devices are replaced and safely disposed of
• Record which pupils have consent to be given a spare device

How Allergy Ledger helps

PenCheck records every pupil's own devices and the school's spares, sends reminders 60, 30 and 7 days before expiry, flags spares not held in pairs, and gives a "where are the pens" list for each building.

Allergy Ledger helps your school record and follow its own allergy procedures. It does not give medical advice and does not replace staff training, the pupil's Allergy Action Plan or Individual Healthcare Plan, or the advice of a healthcare professional. In an emergency always follow the pupil's plan and call 999. Emergency steps shown in the app are reproduced from official UK government guidance. Information is only as accurate as what your school and parents enter.