PROMOTING HEALTH AND HYGIENE KLOISTERS KINDERGARTEN ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES While it is not our policy to care for sick children, who should be at home until they are well enough to return to the setting. We will agree to administer medication as part of maintaining their health and wellbeing or when they are recovering from an illness. If anti-biotics are to be administered, we will only agree to administer if the medication has been used for at least 3 days or half of the bottle. This is to make sure that the child does not have an adverse effect as well as to give time for the medication to take effect. If the child is contagious, they will not be allowed to return to kindergarten until this period has lapsed. When a parent/carer asks the kindergarten staff to administer medicines the following procedures will be carried out. . Oral medications must not normally be administered unless prescribed by a GP/nurse/pharmacist or dentist and have manufacturers instructions clearly written on them. . We must be provided with clear instructions on how to administer such medication. The kindergarten staff must find out why, when and how much medicine the child has already had. Parents must sign the medication form and authorise for their child to be given the medicine and then sign the medication book at the end of each day. The staff must check the form to ensure: That the full name of the child is entered The doctors name The full name of medication Dosage Times at which medication is to be administered Circumstances in which medication is to be administered (if in emergency use) What would happen if the medication was not given What is the medication for Is the child well enough to be at nursery with this condition Where does the medication have to be stored Are there any side effects of this medication Parents must sign Must be dated at time of handing over medication Medicines should be stored in either the fridge or medication cupboard in the kitchen (the bottle should be checked for storage details and noted in the medication record book). The medication should be clearly labelled and in its original container. Only qualified staff are to administer medicines. Before administering medicine double check the name of the child, the name of the medicine, the quantity and the time to be administered. A witness must also check these details and be present when administering the medicine. After this the medication book must be filled in and signed by the person administering the medicine and witness. When the parent/carer collects the child they must sign the medicine book and be given any remaining medicine back. Any emergency medication such as inhalers should be available at all times and to be kept in the medication cupboard in the kitchen (key-pad lock). All medication stored permanently on the premises will periodically be checked for expiry dates. Any out of date medicine is returned back to the parent. No child may self administer. Where children are capable of understanding when they need medication e.g. with asthma, they should be encouraged to tell their key person what they need. However, this does not replace staff vigilance in knowing and responding when a child needs medication. If the administration of prescribed medication (ie. epi-pen) requires medical knowledge, individual training is provided for the relevant members of staff by a health professional. Children who have long term medical conditions and who may require ongoing medication will have a risk assessment carried out. This is the responsibility of the manager along-side the key person. Other medical or social care personnel may need to be involved in the risk-assessment. The health care plan is drawn up with the parent, outlining the key-persons role and what information is to be share with other staff that care for the child. The plan must include the measures to be taken in an emergency and must be reviewed every six months or more if necessary. Parents receive a copy of the health care plan and it must be signed by the parent and each contributor. Records must be accessible and secure. Staff medicines are the responsibility of the staff member and must be stored in the medication cupboard in the kitchen and out of reach of children. If practitioners are taking medication which may affect their ability to care for children, those practitioners should seek medical advice. Providers must ensure that those practitioners only work directly with children if medical advice confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that staff members ability to look after children properly. A Unique Child 1.2 Inclusive practice 1.4 Health and well-being Positive Relationships 2.2 Parents as partners 2.4 Key person Enabling Environments 3.2 Supporting every child Learning and Development Policy links – Safeguarding Policies Health & Safety Policy Managing children with alleriges, or who are sick or infectious Policy Confidentiality Policy Individual HealthCare Plan’s Risk Assessments Policy First Aid Policy Equal Opportunities Policy This policy was adopted on …………………………………………………………. The policy is to be reviewed on .......................................................………………...