| | Sickness and Medical PARENTS/CARERS OF CHILDREN MUST ENSURE THAT THEY PROVIDE AND KEEP UP TO DATE, NURSERY STAFF WITH AN EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBER IN THE CASE OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS THAT MAY OCCUR AT THE NURSERY AND THE CHILD NEEDS TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE NURSERY PREMISES AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. Parents/carers are responsible for making the Nursery aware of any medical conditions and allergies that require medication, particular observation or any other attention. Emergency contact numbers of parents/carers and other nominated persons must be kept up to date and any changes notified without delay to the Nursery Manager. - Staff cannot undertake the care of sick children, in particular those with infectious diseases, diarrheoa, vomiting and high temperatures. It is not conducive to the health of the Nursery Staff or the other children attending the Nursery to be exposed to these unnecessarily.
- Nursery staff are vunerable and do contract illnesses from children they care for, as do other children attending the Nursery. As a result and in order to comply with Nursery Health and Safety Policies, and maintain essential children: staff ratios, the health of the Nursery Staff cannot be compromised by caring for children with any suspected illnesses. Any child with suspected illness will need to be taken away from the nursery.
- Parents must ensure that they are able or a contact person can arrive at the Nursery no later than one hour after they have been informed of the child's illness. It is not conducive to the ill child and other children/staff to be exposed to children who may have infectious conditions.
- UNWELL CHILDREN NEED TO BE AT HOME WITH THE PARENTS/CARERS. Nursery staff will be flexible and understanding to the needs of the working parent/carer, Nursery Staff follow the ‘Nursery Child Sickness Protocol’ as follows.
- Contact with parents/carers will be made in the first instance following any symptoms of the child being unwell.
- Administration of appropriate medication if necessary provided that written permission by the parent/carer is obtained.
- Monitor the child over the next hour.
- If no improvement in child’s condition the parent/carer/nominated person is expected to collect the child within one hour of informing them.
- For conditions such as diarrohea, vomiting, suspected infectious disease, then the child will be expected to be collected by the parent/carer/nominated person within the hour. The above protocol does not apply. The following guidance is used by Nursery Staff to assist them to make the decision to contact parents/carer/nominated person. Guidance for timeframes for this has been obtained by discussion with a GP and guidance from the Department of Health.
- The Nursery reserves the right to refuse admittance to any child who appears unwell on arrival at the Nursery.
- The Nursery cannot be held responsible for any child contracting any of the common diseases, such as a cold, flu, chicken pox etc.
- The Nursery Staff cannot administer pain relief without the written consent of the parent/carer on the day of attendance of the child at the Nursery. Forms are available for this on request but parents/carers may provide the Nursery Staff written permission together with the medicine to be administered, dosage, time to administer and other relevant data on the day of their child’s attendance at the Nursery.
 - If a child becomes unwell after arrival at the Nursery, the Nursery Staff cannot administer pain relief without parents/carers written permission. The parents/carer/person nominated as the emergency number will be contacted and asked to collect the child as soon as possible.
- If Senior Nursery Staff feel that a child is in immediate need of further medical aid they will be taken immediately to the appropriate facility by ambulance or staff transport. In such circumstances parents/carers will always be informed prior to this. However, special consent from the parents/carers is necessary to allow for the Nursery to obtain treatment without delay, which may include surgery recommended by a doctor or dentist for any acute condition of alleviation of pain.
- Senior Nursery Staff observed by one other staff member will administer medicines. The medicine, dosage, time and quantity will be logged into the Medicine Book, signed by both staff members and then shown to the parent/carer when they collect the child at the end of the Nursery session. The parent/carer will be asked to countersign the book to confirm that the medicine was administered.
- Prescribed medicines can only be administered to children with parent’s/carers written permission. A form is available for parent/carers to complete and hand in to a senior nursery staff member on the first day of administration of the medicine. Parents /carers of children with identified medical need such as asthma, febrile convulsions etc, will also need to complete a medicine form, but this will be kept on record for reference purposes, as and when there is the need to administer appropriate medication.
- In all instances the named medicine, previous dosage time, dosage, time and quantity will be logged into the Medicine Book, signed by both staff members and then shown to the parent/carer when they collect the child at the end of the Nursery session. The parent/carer will be asked to countersign the book to confirm that the medicine was administered.
ILLNESS | | RECOMMENDED PERIODTO BE KEPT AWAY FROM NURSERY | Chickenpox | | 7 days from onset of rash - it is necessary to wait until all spots have healed or scabbed | German measles | | 5 days from onset of rash - child is most infectious before the diagnosis is made and most children should be immune due to immunizations. | Hand, foot and mouth disease | | 5 days after diagnosis made by GP | Impetigo | | Until lesions are healed - Antibiotic treatment is necessary | Measles | | 5 days from onset of rash | Ringworm | | 3 days after treatment has been initiated. Anti fungal treatment by GP necessary. | Scabies | | Until treated | Scarlet Fever | | 5 days from commencing antibiotics | Diarrhoea and/or Vomiting (with or without a specified diagnosis) | | Until diarrhoea and vomiting has cleared for a minimum of 24 hours. Period of exclusion varies according to length of time illness clears. | Conjunctivitis | | Until treated with medication by GP and treatment commenced for at least 24 hours prior to return to Nursery -Medicine must be brought to Nursery to be administered by Nursery Staff | Head Lice | | Until treated and live headlice eradicated - medication or wet combing method | Mumps | | 5 days from onset of swollen glands - child most infectious before diagnosis is made | Threadworms | | Until treatment with medication by GP | Other Illness | | Exclusion period will depend on illness and guidance from GP |
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