At CJ’s Little Pickles we promote the good health of all children attending. To help keep children healthy and minimise infection, we do not expect children to attend nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell it is in their best interest to be in a home environment with adults they know well rather than at nursery with their peers.
Our procedures:
In order to take appropriate action of children who become ill and to minimise the spread of infection we implement the following procedures:
• If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, we contact their parent(s) and ask them to pick up their child as soon as possible. During this time, we care for the child in a quiet, calm area with their key person, wherever possible
• We follow the guidance given to us by Public Health England (Health Protection in Schools and other childcare facilities), NHS and advice from our local health protection unit on exclusion times for specific illnesses, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, measles and chicken pox, to protect other children in the nursery.
• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea, they must not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours We inform all parents if there is a contagious infection identified in the nursery, to enable them to spot the early signs of this illness. We thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment and resources that may have come into contact with a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection
• We notify Ofsted as soon as possible and in all cases within 14 days of the incident where we have any child or staff member with food poisoning.
• We exclude all children on antibiotics for the first 48 hours of the course (unless this is part of an ongoing care plan to treat individual medical conditions e.g. asthma and the child is not unwell) This is because it is important that children are not subjected to the rigours of the nursery day, which requires socialising with other children and being part of a group setting, when they have first become ill and require a course of antibiotics. 48 hours also ensures they are not allergic to their medication
• We have the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager or deputy manager.
• All parents are requested to regularly check their children’s hair for lice. If a parent finds that their child has head lice, we would be grateful if they could inform the nursery so that other parents can be alerted to check their child’s hair.
Meningitis Procedure:
If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis, the nursery manager will contact the
The local health protection team (HPT) in Thurrock can be contacted by emailing PublicHealthSi@thurrock.gov.uk. The HPT for the east of England can be contacted by emailing eastofenglandHPT@ukhsa.gov.uk or calling 0300 3038537.
We will follow all guidance given and notify any of the appropriate authorities including Ofsted if necessary.
Transporting children to hospital procedure:
The nursery manager/staff member must:
• Call for an ambulance immediately if the sickness is severe. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick child in your own vehicle
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at the hospital • Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter
• Inform a member of the management team immediately
• Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support following the accident.
If a child has an accident that may require hospital treatment but not an ambulance, the onus is on the parent to take the child to hospital. Where this is not possible and the child is transported by nursery or staff vehicles you will need to:
• Request permission from parents
Where an appropriate car seat is not available i.e. a young baby, further guidance can be found at www. childcarseats.org.uk