Nursing Support Services (NSS), with support from the Ministries of Health and Education and Child Care, has updated their approach to supporting students who receive tube/enteral feeding through an act of delegation at school.
For the 2025-26 school year, families will be required to obtain an updated order form from a physician/dietitian. This order form must be completed at the start of each new school year. Starting September 2025, the updated form includes:
- Details regarding flushes and hydration, and,
- If a physician/dietitian has ordered a home blenderized tube feed, families will be required to provide a list of each of the meals to be given at school that includes the ingredients for each meal.
This ensures the nurse knows what is being given to the student, as is required by their professional regulation. Complex formulas, formulas that need to be reconstituted and home blenderized tube feeds must be sent “ready-to-serve”. These tube feeds must be labelled/named in a consistent way so that school staff can readily verify the contents at the time of administration.
The updated approach ensures that the nurses who support this program are practicing in accordance with their professional licensure requirements related to delegation, while continuing to offer families as much flexibility as possible to make decisions about how their child can best be supported. Detailed information is available in this letter and on the BC Children’s Hospital website. NSS has also shared information with families whose children are receiving this support through NSS.
Contact Information
- School staff who are performing tube feeding should be made aware of and review this updated information. They are welcome and encouraged to discuss this updated approach with the NSS Nurse Coordinator supporting their student(s).
- District staff (including Directors of Inclusive Education) can contact their local NSS Nurse Coordinator and/or their Health Authority NSS Team Leader. Other questions can be sent to the Ministry of Education and Child Care: Inclusive.Education@gov.bc.ca, ATTN: Director, Student Health & Wellness.
- Families with questions or concerns should contact their local NSS Nurse Coordinator.