Written question WQ85112
- Asked by
- Mark IsherwoodConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Social Justice
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 2 days
Question
Do Ukrainian refugee children, who have arrived in Wales under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, have to receive a medical from a GP as a prerequisite to attending school?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Social Justice
In Ukraine, TB re-emerged as a public health challenge in the 1990s. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health threat in the country. The World Health Organisation estimates Ukraine has the fourth highest TB incidence rate in Europe.
The Chief Medical Officer previously advised that children should not join an education setting until their TB screening (specifically) has been completed and the results indicate there is no onward risk of transmission. We will keep this position under review to ensure it is a proportionate approach to the perceived threat. Following further conversations with the TB network this position has been further refined as follows:
Children and young people of secondary school age and older are at greatest risk of active pulmonary TB. It is expected that health board TB teams will screen new arrivals with a chest x-ray as soon as practicable. Our guidance is that these learners should not attend an education setting until they have had a chest x-ray and active pulmonary TB has been ruled out. We have asked that health board TB teams provide confirmation of the chest x-ray result by means accessible to the individual or parent/guardian so that this can be presented to education admission staff.
For primary school age children, the risk of active pulmonary TB is highly unlikely – these learners would typically have either latent TB or TB outside of the lungs, which is very hard to spread. As such, children can attend a primary education setting without delay and before follow-up screening, as per the agreed pathway. Health board TB teams will be in contact with families to make the arrangements for these TB checks.
This advice does not apply to the broader health assessments, which are being provided for new arrivals (covering things such as any ongoing medical care needs and routine immunisations). These health assessments are not required before children are enrolled in school. The Chief Medical Officer has written to Directors of Education to provide this information.