Before the Annual Review: Making the Health Advice Section Earn Its Place
Photo: parent reviewing EHCP paperwork at kitchen table with cup of tea UK, via static.zerochan.net
The annual review paperwork lands. There’s a date in the diary, a bundle of reports, and a quiet sense that everyone is about to agree that things are broadly fine. For many families, the education parts get the most attention — provision, outcomes, the thorny question of whether the plan still fits. Health advice can end up as the section everyone skims.
That’s a problem, because health advice is not a decorative paragraph. In England, an EHCP has a section for health needs and a section for health provision. The annual review is the moment to check whether those sections still describe your child, still make sense in practice, and still tell a school or college what to do on a Tuesday morning when something goes sideways.
What the health advice is meant to do
Health advice should do more than confirm that your child is known to a service. It should explain the need, the impact, and the support. In plain terms, it should answer four questions:
- What is the health need, and how does it affect learning, attendance, regulation or participation?
- What support is needed, who provides it, and how often?
- What should happen in an emergency or a flare-up?
- How will we know the support is working, and when will it be reviewed?
If the advice says ‘known to paediatric services’ and little else, it is not giving the plan anything to work with. That’s not necessarily because the professional doesn’t care. It’s often because they were asked for a report without being told what the annual review needs from them.
EHCPs are used in England. If you’re in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, the plan name and process will be different, but the same principle applies: health information should be specific enough to shape daily support, not just sit in a file.
Three flavours of filler to watch for
Most vague health advice falls into a few familiar patterns. None of them are lies. They are just too thin to be useful.
The reassurance line. ‘No concerns.’ If your child has a known health condition, a sensory difference or a medication regime, ‘no concerns’ needs context. No concerns about what, in which setting, and based on what information?
The elastic phrase. ‘Support as required.’ Required by whom? When? What does it look like? A plan cannot rely on a phrase that everyone interprets differently.
The filing note. ‘Child is known to occupational therapy.’ That tells you a service exists in your child’s life. It doesn’t tell the school what to put in place.
There’s also the progress sentence that wanders in from an education report: ‘Continues to make progress.’ That’s lovely, but it isn’t health advice. The annual review needs health input that speaks to health needs and their practical consequences.
Before the meeting: a checklist that keeps you steady
You don’t need to become an EHCP lawyer. You need a clear paper trail and a few precise questions.
- Ask the SENCo or caseworker which health professionals have been asked for advice this year, and when.
- Check the dates on any health reports. Is the advice current enough to describe your child now?
- Highlight every vague phrase in the draft plan. Put a question mark beside it.
- Write one question for each gap. For example: ‘What does “as required” mean during a sensory overload episode?’
- Ask to see the draft plan before the meeting, if you haven’t already.
- Confirm who is attending, and whether health will be represented.
- Note your child’s views in their own words, if they want to share them.
- Keep copies of emails and reports. A calm folder beats a scrambled memory.
If health advice is missing entirely, say so before the meeting rather than after. The review can note that health advice is outstanding. It doesn’t have to be quietly signed off as though the gap isn’t there.
Gentle scripts for asking for real health input
You can be persistent without sounding like you’re picking a fight. Specific, friendly requests tend to travel further than a general worry.
Subject: Health advice for [child]’s annual review
Hello [name], I’m getting ready for [child]’s annual review on [date]. Could you confirm which health professionals have been asked for advice this year? I want to make sure the plan reflects [child]’s current health needs, especially [brief example]. If a report is still outstanding, could we note that in the review paperwork?
Hello [health professional], we have an annual review coming up for [child]. Would you be able to send a short report covering current needs, how they affect school or college, and any support or emergency arrangements we should have in the plan? A couple of specific sentences would be more helpful than a general update.
At the Meeting: ‘Can we pause on that paragraph? I’m not sure what it means in practice. Could we make it specific about what support happens, who does it, and how often?’
That last line is often enough. You are not asking for a diagnosis. You are asking for a plan that can be followed.
Plan versus profile: what goes where
A one-page profile is a brilliant tool. It is also not a legal plan. The EHCP should carry the statutory health needs and provision. The profile can carry the human detail that makes the day work.
| EHCP health sections | One-page profile |
|---|---|
| Health needs and their impact on education or training | Communication preferences and triggers |
| Health provision, who delivers it and how often | What helps at home and in school |
| Outcomes and review points | Medication timings and emergency contacts |
| Emergency arrangements where relevant | Hospital passport or sensory diet details |
| Medication or care needs in the setting, if required | ‘Please read this first’ context for new staff |
Put the legally required support in the plan. Put the quick-read, relationship-building information in the profile. The profile is a bridge, not a replacement.
If the advice still doesn’t arrive
Ask the local authority caseworker to confirm what health advice has been received and what is outstanding. Keep the tone factual. ‘I’m checking whether the review has up-to-date health advice, because the current draft doesn’t include it’ is a perfectly reasonable sentence.
At AU4DM Health Network, we hear from families who feel awkward chasing this. But an annual review is exactly the right place to ask. You are not being difficult. You are making sure the health section earns its place in the plan — and that the adults around your child have something concrete to work with.
Bring the checklist. Bring the questions. Bring the one-page profile if it helps. The aim isn’t a perfect meeting. It’s a plan that says what actually happens next.
