Medication Policy

At Bijou nursery we promote the good health of children attending setting and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection (see sickness and illness policy). If a child requires medicine  we will obtain information about the child's needs for this with parental consent and correct paperwork, and will ensure this information is kept up to date.

 

We follow guidelines when dealing with medication of any kind within our nursery as laid out below.

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Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist (Medicines containing aspirin will only be given if prescribed by a doctor).

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Prescription medicine will only be given to the person named on the bottle for the dosage stated.

 

• Medicines must be in their original containers and clearly labelled.
   

• Those with parental responsibility for any child requiring prescription medication should hand over the medication to the most appropriate member of staff who will ask you to fill in a medication form.
   

• The dosage on the written permission is the only dosage that will be administered. We will not give a different dose unless a new form is completed and will not exceed the recommended dose on the instructions unless by written instructions from a health professional.
   

• Parents must notify us IMMEDIATELY if the child's circumstances change, e.g. a dose has been given at home, or a change in strength/dose needs to be given.
   

• The parent must be asked when the child has last been given the medication before coming to nursery and the staff member must record this information on the medication form. Similarly when the child is picked up, the parent or guardian must be given precise details of the times and dosage given throughout the day.
   

• At the time of administering the medicine, a senior member of staff will ask the child to take the medicine, or offer it in a manner acceptable to the child at the prescribed time and in the prescribed form. (It is important to note that staff working with children are not legally obliged to administer medication)
   

• If the child refuses to take the appropriate medication then a note will be made on the form to inform the parent.
   

• Where medication is "essential" or may have side effects, discussion wi th the parent will  take place to establish the appropriate response.

 

 

 

Non-prescription medication

 

• The nursery will not administer any non-prescription medication containing aspirin
   

• The nursery wi ll only administer non-prescription medication for a short initial period, dependant on the medication or the condition of the child such as high temperature and with parental consent . After this time medical attention should be sought.
   

• If the nursery feels the child would benefit from medical attention rather than non-prescription medication, we reserve the right to refuse nursery care until the child is seen by a medical practitioner.
   

• If a child needs liquid paracetamol or similar medication during their time at nursery, such medication will be treated as prescription medication and being on the parent to provide the medicine nursery providing one specific type of medication should parents wish to use this.
   

• An emergency nursery supply of fever relief (e.g Calpol) and anti-histamines (e.g. Piriton) will be stored on site and kept safely and labelled with the child’s name. This will be  checked at regular intervals by the designated trained first aider to make sure that it complies with any instructions for storage and is still in date
   

• If a child does exhibit the symptoms for which consent has been given to give non-prescription medication during the day the nursery will make every attempt to contact the child's parents. Where parents cannot be contacted then the creche manager will take the decision as to whether the child is safe to have this medication based on the time the child has been in the nursery, the circumstances surrounding the need for this medication and the medical history of the child on their registration form. Giving non-prescription medication will be a last resort and the nursery staff will use other methods first to try and alleviate the symptoms, e.g. for an increase in temperature the temperature will remove clothing, use fanning, tepid cooling with a wet flannel. The child will be closely monitored until the parents collect the child.
   

• For any non-prescription cream for skin conditions e.g. Sudocrem, prior written permission must be obtained from the parent and the onus is on the parent to provide the cream which should be clearly labelled with the child's name.
   

• If any child is brought to the nursery in a condition in which he/she may require medication sometime during the day, the manager will decide if the child is fit to be left at the setting. If the child is staying, the parent must be asked if any kind of medication has already been given, at what time and in what dosage and this must be stated on the medication form.
   

• As with any kind of medication, staff will ensure that the parent is informed of any non­ prescription medicines given to the child whilst at the nursery, together with the times and dosage given.
   

• The nursery DOES NOT administer any medication unless prior written consent is given for each and every medicine.

 

 

 

Injections, pessaries, suppositories

As the administration of injections, pessaries and suppositories represents intrusive nursing, we will not administer these without appropriate medical training for every member of staff caring for this child. This training is specific for every child and not generic. The nursery will do all  it can to make any reasonable adjustments including working with parents and other professionals to arrange for appropriate health officials to train staff in administering the medication.
 

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Staff medication

All staff members have a responsibility to work with children only where they are fit to do so. Staff must not work with children where they are infectious or too unwell to meet children's needs. This includes circumstances where any medication taken affects their ability to care for children, for example, where it makes a person drowsy. If any staff member believes that their condition, including any condition caused by taking medication, is affecting their ability they must inform their line manager and seek medical advice. *The nursery manager/person's line manager/registered provider will decide if a staff member is fit to work, including circumstances where other staff members notice changes in behaviour suggesting a person may be under the influence of medication. This decision will include any medical advice obtained by the individual or from an occupational health assessment.

Where staff may occasional y or regularly need medication, any such medication must be kept in the person's locker/separate locked container in the staff room or nursery room where staff may need easy access to the medication such as an asthma inhaler. In all cases it must be st ored out of reach of the children. It must not be kept in the first aid box and should be labelled with the name of the member of staff or child’s.

 

 

Storage

All medication for children must have the child's name clearly written on the original container and kept in a closed box, which is out of reach of all children. Emergency medication, such as inhaler s and EpiPens, will be within easy reach of staff in case of an immediate need, but will remain out of children's reach. Any antibiotics requiring refrigeration must be kept in a fridge inaccessible to children. All medications must be in their original containers, labels must be legible and not tampered wit h or they will not be given. All prescription medications should have the pharmacist's details and notes attached to show the dosage needed and the date the prescription was issued. This will all be checked, along with expiry dates, before staff agree to administer medication.

 

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Sickness and Illness

If a child has experienced sickness or diaorrea they must have an exclusion period of 48 hours where they cannot attend the setting. If illness and sickness has affected children in the setting the nursery must perform a deep clean on top of daily cleaning to ensure the stop of cross contamination and spreading through the setting ensuring the health of staff and children. 

If a child experiences bacterial infection such as conjunctivitis they must not attend the setting until appropriate treatment has been arranged.

If major health risks have been informed such as chicken pox and scarlet fever parents must be informed and given information of how to treat their child and different exclusions apply such as waiting for the sores to dry and some must be reported to the board of health.

If a staff member becomes unwell and cannot attend their shift they must contact the setting at the earliest convenience so that cover can be arranged as we have to adhere to ratios so this is of greatest importance. It must be a phone call to the manager of senior member of staff. If this isn’t followed and no contact is made between staff and setting it could lead to disciplinary action and comes under misconduct.

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This policy was adopted on March 2019. Date for review March 2020