At Buttercups we try to minimise the spread of infection in our settings, however, due to infections and childhood illnesses your child may be unable to attend. It is of the utmost importance that children who are ill or have infections are kept away from the nursery to help reduce the risk of spreading the infection or illness. We may request that a child is sent home for a number of reasons, but please remember that we have a responsibility to keep all the children safe from illness and infection.
Whilst it may be inconvenient, your child’s health and welfare and the welfare of others in our care, is our first priority.
We follow the guidelines for illnesses and infection control set out by Public Health England.
In the event of a child infection or illness, staff at Buttercups will follow the following procedure to ensure the needs of your child are met and to prevent the illness or infection from spreading.
When the child is not their usual self (e.g. inactive, crying excessively, no appetite) or, feel hotter than usual to touch on their forehead, back or stomach, feel sweaty or clammy and/or have flushed cheeks, the child’s temperature will be taken.
- A normal temperature in babies and children is about 36.4°C, but this can vary slightly. A high temperature or fever is usually considered to be a temperature of 38°C or above.
(NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children)
- If the temperature is normal the child will be given time to rest and will have their temperature taken at regular intervals.
- If the child’s temperature is 38°C a member of staff will sit with the child and make him/her as comfortable as possible. In the meantime, another member of staff will contact the parent/carer explaining the situation. The child’s temperature will continue to be monitored and recorded.
- The parent/carer will need to collect the child from Nursery to be cared for at home and seek medical advice.
Buttercups will store sachets of Calpol onsite to only be administered when a parent has been notified of a temperature in excess of 39 degrees, this is to avoid the temperature becoming any higher resulting in a possible convulsion. The parent must give verbal consent to this over the phone and then sign a medicine form on arrival. Other circumstances that may require the child to be collected are listed in our Exclusion Policy below. If your child is sent home from nursery it is recommended that you seek medical advice from your Doctor. Parents and staff should then follow the Exclusion Policy on deciding when the child is able to return to nursery.
Children with sprains/strains/burns are also allowed to attend nursery but this may not be advisable. We reserve the right to seek further medical advice if we feel necessary.
- 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 sterilize all equipment and resources that may have come into contact with a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection. We have an ozone room sanitizer which is used across the nursery each evening to deep clean air and surfaces
- We notify Ofsted as soon as is reasonably practical, but in any event within 14 days of the incident of any food poisoning affecting two or more children cared for on the premises.
- We have the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager/duty manager on duty and is non-negotiable
Meningitis procedure
If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis, the nursery manager will contact the Local Area Infection Control (IC) Nurse. The IC Nurse will give guidance and support in each individual case. If parents do not inform the nursery, we may be contacted directly by the IC Nurse and the appropriate support given. We will follow all guidance given and notify any of the appropriate authorities including Ofsted where necessary.
Head Lice
Staff are not permitted to physically check a child’s hair for head lice, however, if it is apparent they have head lice, we will ask parents to treat them that evening before the child returns to nursery. Parents will only be called to collect their child if we feel it is a severe case and it is likely causing that child distress and presenting an increased chance of passing the head lice on to other children and staff. Staff will offer parents support and advice if head lice is a problem that parents may be finding difficult to get under control.
Teething
Baby teeth sometimes emerge with no pain or discomfort at all. At other times you may notice, your baby’s gum is sore and red, one cheek is flushed, they are rubbing their ear, they are dribbling more, they are gnawing or chewing, they are more fretful. There is no evidence to support the fact that teething causes a fever or diarrhoea, despite popular belief and therefore these will not be treated as ‘normal’ teething symptoms. Staff will call the parent/carer to request permission to administer Calpol if they feel the child is suffering from teething pain. We can give non prescribed medication for 3 days in a row, after that a parent will need to gain permission from their Doctor.
‘Exclusion Policy’
In order to prevent the spread of infection and illness within our setting we follow the exclusion advice set out by Public Health England.
Disease/Illness and minimal exclusion period
| Prescribed Medication/Antibiotics | 48 hours from first dose of medication. Prescribed creams will be dependent on severity of condition |
| Chickenpox | 5 days from appearance of the rash and spots are all dry |
| Conjunctivitis | We recommend 24 hours after the child has started treatment with medicated eye drops however there is no exclusion period in place. |
| Hand, Foot and Mouth | No Exclusion. However if a large number of children are affected, exclusion may be considered in some circumstances |
| Impetigo | Until lesions are crusted and healed, or 48 hours after commencing antibiotic treatment |
| Measles | 4 days from appearance of the rash |
| Mumps | Until the swelling has subsided and in no case less than 7 days from onset of illness |
| Pediculosis (lice) | Until appropriate treatment has been given |
| Pertussis (whooping cough) | 2 days from commencing antibiotic treatment or 21 days from onset of illness (if no antibiotic treatment) |
| Raised Temperature | If sent home from nursery child must be off for 24 hours |
| Ringworm of body | Seldom necessary to exclude provided treatment is being given |
| Ringworm of scalp | Until cured |
| Scabies | Can return after first treatment |
| Slap cheek | No exclusion |
| Teething | No exclusion – we can give non prescribed medication for 3 days in a row but after that parent will need to gain permission from their Doctor |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | 48 hours from last episode of illness |
The managers refer to the “Public Health England – Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings” when a child has an illness/disease that is not included on the above list before deciding on whether the child should/should not attend the setting.
For a child who is able to attend nursery (in line with our exclusion policy) but is clearly distressed and in discomfort we will call a parent to collect them. This will be where we feel it is in the child’s best interest not to be in the setting.
The manager may ask that a child does not attend the setting for a longer period than set out in the exclusion policy if there has been a severe outbreak of a certain illness/disease or we feel they may cause a risk to spreading
‘Medicines’
It is not Buttercup’s policy to care for sick children who should be at home until they are well enough to return to the setting. We will however administer medication as part of maintaining their health and well-being or when they are recovering from an illness. Administering of medicine will only be done when it would be detrimental to the child’s health if not given in the setting.
We advise parents/carers to keep the child at home for the first 48 hours upon starting any medication, including anti biotics (see Exclusion Policy) to ensure no adverse reaction takes place as well as to give time for the medication to take effect.
- All medicines administered, including creams will be recorded on a medicine form
- Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist, including the prescriber’s instructions for administration and dosage and the correct child’s name on the medication
- The medication should be in date and prescribed for the current condition
- Buttercups will never accept medicines that have been taken out of the container as originally dispensed nor make changes to dosages on parental instructions
- The parent/carer must complete and sign a medicine form prior to the medication being administered
- It is the Room Leader’s responsibility to ensure that the medication is given alongside a member of the Senior Management Team
- Medication can only be administered by a fully qualified, first aid trained member of staff who has completed their probation period and have a clear DBS check
- The witness to the medication must be an employee of Buttercups (not a student or volunteer) who has completed all relevant key skills/competency checks, have a clear DBS check and completed a successful probation period
- The parent/carer should sign to acknowledge that the medication was administered when they collect their child. We will only give non-prescribed paracetamol-based medication when verbal consent is given by parents/carer in the case of a high temperature.
Buttercups will store their own paracetamol-based medication onsite (such as Calpol) which will only be used to prevent the risk of febrile convulsion and where a parent or named person is on their way to collect the child. If non-prescribed medication such as Calpol is given (upon verbal consent) it will only be given in accordance with the dosage guidelines on the medicine label and only one non-prescribed medicine will be given at any time. Children will not be allowed to attend the setting if they have been administered Calpol/Calprofen at home before their session starts. Another exception to administering non-prescribed medicine (examples include paracetamol/ibuprofen-based medicine, teething crystals and Bonjela etc) is when a young baby (under two’s) is teething and the parent has given written consent. This arrangement will only be permitted for a maximum of 3 days and will be at the manager’s discretion on individual circumstances (a manager can refuse to allow non-prescribed medication and follow the Exclusion Policy if they feel the child should not be in the setting). Buttercups will store anti histamines for medical emergencies, this will be for children who suffer with allergies and have a reaction whilst in the setting or if a child (with no known allergies) develops a severe reaction whilst in our care. Regular long-term anti histamines can only be given if prescribed by a doctor. All medication will be stored in inaccessible location in either the medicine cabinet or fridge as required. If the administration of prescribed medication requires medical knowledge then individual training will be provided for relevant staff members by a health professional.
