Policy for the administration of medicines
EYFS stipulates that providers must implement an effective policy on administering
medicines which includes effective management systems to support individual children
with medical needs.
Providers must keep written records of all medicines administered to children and inform
parents.
Providers must obtain prior written permission for each and every medicine from parents
before any medication is given.
In order to comply with these requirements the following policy is in place.
If a child has long term medical needs Cliff will ensure that there is sufficient information
about the medical condition. This could include specialist training from qualified health
professionals both on the condition and administration of medications requiring technical
knowledge eg epi-pens. The training would be specific to the individual child concerned.
Medicines should not usually be administered unless they have been prescribed by a
doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist. However, non prescription medication eg pain and
fever relief or teething gel may be administered , but only with the written consent of the
parent and only where there is a health reason to do so. All medicines will be stored in
accordance with product instructions and in the original container. They should include
prescribers instructions for administration and be clearly labelled with the child’s name.
Prescribed medication
If a child needs to take prescribed medication then a permission slip must be signed by
the parent or carer. The medication will be administered by two members of staff, who
will record the dosage and time administered and sign the record. A parental signature
will be required at the end of the day. All medication is to be brought in on a daily basis
and taken home at night.
Parents of children attending After School must ensure they give written consent by letter
which contained the date, medication, dosage, time of administration and signature.
Procedures to follow: Check Medicine and request parents complete medication form
 Photocopy medication form
 Place a the photocopied form with the medication in the fridge or cupboard in the
nursery office entering details on the office whiteboard and a put the original form
on the room notice board.
 Set the alarm clock






At the agreed time obtain the medication, check the bottle and obtain a witness
Together with the witness recheck the bottle, follow parents/bottle instructions
and administer the medication.
Both the administrator and witness sign both the form with the bottle and the one
from the notice board
Put the medication back into the fridge or cupboard
Repeat if necessary
Ensure the correct medication goes home at the end of the session
Non-prescribed medication
The Welfare Requirements stipulate that only prescription medication should be
administered in a setting. However there is an allowance for non prescription medicines
to be administered in certain circumstances. The medications are for the relief of pain or
fever and teething discomfort. On entry to the setting parents and carers will be asked to
sign a permission slip for the administration of these medications where there is a valid
health reason. If a child needs this medication the setting will contact the parent or carer
and confirm permission to administer the medicine. Two members of staff will
administer and record the dosage given and time. A parental signature will be required at
the end of the day.
The following recommendations are based on The National Institute For Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline “ Feverish Illness in children. Assessment and
Initial management in children younger than 5 years”
The definition of a high temperature is 38 degrees C
Many children can walk around with a high temperature and be asymptomatic so the
practitioners would need to assess if the child is showing other symptoms etc If there are
no symptoms then in reality no treatment is required. The range for the temperature
becoming significant particularly when in context of other symptoms also changes with
age range
Less than 3 months would be no higher than 38 degrees C but it should be noted that
Paracetamol/ Ibuprofen cannot be given to under 3 months of age unless prescribed by a
GP/Nurse Prescriber.
3-6 months of age 38.9 degrees C
6 months upwards 39 degrees C plus
The Nursery will keep pain relief in sachet form for these purposes. This ensures a
measured dose and limits the possibility of contamination.
The permission form will be regularly reviewed to ensure there are no changes, for
example a child may no longer be able to take a form of medication. Even though the
form has been signed the setting will still contact parents or carers prior to administering
the medication in order to gain permission and find out if the child has had any
medication prior to attending the setting. If this is the case the setting will note the
medication, the dosage and the time.
There will always be at least three staff on the premises and on outings who have a
current paediatric first aid certificate, approved by the local authority and consistent with
EYFS guidance. Suitable first aid kits are available in each room and on outings.
Illnesses and Injuries
The setting requests that children are not brought to sessions if they are unwell or
infectious. There is a chart displayed in the setting and included in the policy file and
welcome pack, which lists common illnesses, treatments and exclusion criteria. If a child
is taken ill during a session the parents or carers will be contacted and asked to arrange
collection as soon as is reasonably practicable. The waiting child will be comforted and
looked after.
In the welcome pack there is a permission slip for parents to sign which allows the setting
to phone an ambulance and access the local A&E Department in the event of a serious
accident or illness. Parents and carers would be contacted in this instance and
arrangements made for meeting at the hospital. A member of the setting staff would
remain with the child until parents or carers arrival.
Any accidents and first aid treatments given will be recorded and parents informed. The
accident records are regularly reviewed as part of ongoing risk assessments.
Procedures to follow: Check Medicine and request parents complete medication form
 Photocopy medication form
