Sickness and illness EYFS 3.42
Children should not be left at nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell then they will
prefer to be at home with their parent(s) rather than at nursery with their peers. We will
follow these procedures to ensure the welfare of all children within the nursery:
If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, their parent(s) will be contacted and asked
to pick their child up as soon as possible. During this time the child will be cared for in a
quiet, calm area with their key person.
In the case of a child coming up in a rash, we may ask you to collect your child and get
them seen by a doctor for advice as whether is it infectious or not.
Should a child have an infectious disease, such as an eye/ear infection or sickness and
diarrhoea, they should not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48
hours.
It is vital that we follow the advice given to us by our registering authority and exclude
specific contagious conditions, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, Hand, foot
and mouth, Oral Thrush and chicken pox to protect other children in the nursery.
Illnesses of this nature are very contagious and it is exceedingly unfair to expose other
children to the risk of an infection.
If a contagious infection is identified in the nursery, parents will be informed to enable
them to spot the early signs of this illness. All equipment and resources that may have
come into contact with a contagious child will be cleaned and sterilised thoroughly to
reduce the spread of infection.
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. Our policy, therefore, is to
exclude children on antibiotics for the first 48 hours of the course (unless this is part of
an on going care plan to treat individual medical conditions e.g. asthma and the child is
not unwell)
The nursery has the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will
be taken by the manager on duty and is non-negotiable
Information/posters about head lice are readily available and all parents are requested
to regularly check their children’s hair. 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 should
contact the Infection Control (IC) Nurse for their area, and Ofsted. The IC Nurse will give
guidance and support in each individual case. If parents do not inform the nursery, we will be
contacted directly by the IC Nurse and the appropriate support will be given.
Allergies and allergic reactions
At Rascals we are aware that children can have allergies which may cause allergic reactions.
We will follow this policy to ensure allergic reactions are minimised or where possible
prevented and staff are fully aware of how to support a child who may be having an allergic
reaction.
Staff will be made aware of the signs and symptoms of a possible allergic reaction in
case of an unknown or first reaction in a child. These may include a rash or hives,
nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea, itchy skin, runny eyes, shortness of breath, chest pain,
swelling of the mouth or tongue, swelling to the airways to the lungs, wheezing and
anaphylaxis
Information will be passed on by parents from the registration form regarding allergic
reactions and allergies and must be shared with all staff in the nursery
The nursery manager must carry out a full Allergy Risk Assessment Procedure with the
parent prior to the child starting the nursery. The information must then be shared with
all staff
The manager, nursery cook and parents will work together to ensure a child with
specific food allergies receives no food at nursery that may harm them. This may
include designing an appropriate menu or substituting specific meals on the current
nursery menu
If a child has an allergic reaction to food, a bee sting, plant etc. a first aid trained
member of staff will act quickly and administer the appropriate treatment. Parents
must be informed and it must be recorded in the incident book
If this treatment requires specialist treatment, e.g. an epipen, then at least two
members of staff working directly with the child and the manager will receive specific
medical training to be able to administer the treatment to each individual child
A sick child above all needs their family; therefore every effort should be made to
contact a family member as soon as possible
If the allergic reaction is severe a member of staff will summon an ambulance
immediately. We WILL NOT attempt to transport the sick/injured child in our own
vehicles
Whilst waiting for the ambulance, we will contact the emergency contact and arrange to meet
them at the hospital
A senior member of staff must accompany the child and collect together registration
forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and child’s comforter
Staff must remain calm at all times; children who witness an allergic reaction may well
be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance
All incidents will be recorded, shared and signed by parents at the earliest opportunity.
Infection control
Viruses and infections can be easily passed from person to person by breathing in air
containing the virus which is produced when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. It
can also spread through hand/face contact after touching a person or surface contaminated
with viruses.
The best way to prevent a virus or infection from moving around the nursery environment is
to maintain high hygiene standards in the nursery. To do this we will follow the guidance
below:
Ensure all children use tissues when coughing and sneezing to catch all germs
Ensure all tissues are disposed of in a hygienic way and all children and staff wash their
hands once the tissue is disposed of
Encourage all children to do the above by discussing the need for good hygiene
procedures in helping them to stay healthy
Staff will all wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when changing
nappies, toileting children and dealing with any other bodily fluids.
All potties and changing mats are cleaned and sterilised before and after each use
Toilets are cleaned at least twice daily
Staff are to remind children to wash their hands before eating, after visiting the toilet,
playing outside or being in contact with any animal and explain the reasons for this
All toys, equipment and resources will be cleaned on a regular basis and using
antibacterial cleanser or through washing in the washing machine
All equipment used by babies and toddlers will be washed or cleaned as and when they
need it – this includes when the children have placed it in their mouth
If a dummy or bottle falls on the floor or is picked up by another child, this is cleaned
immediately and sterilised where necessary
Individual bedding will be used by children and labelled. This will be washed at least
once a week and not used for any other child
All staff and children will be required to wear specific indoor shoes or slippers whilst
inside the rooms
When children are ill we will follow the sickness and illness policy to prevent the spread
of any infection in the nursery. Staff are also requested to stay at home if they are
contagious
The nursery manager retains the right of refusal of all children, parents, staff and
visitors who are deemed contagious and may impact on the welfare of the rest of the
nursery
Parents will be made aware of the need for these procedures in order for them to
follow these guidelines whilst in the nursery
The nursery will ensure stocks of tissues, hand washing equipment, cleaning materials
and sterilising fluid are maintained at all times and increased during the winter months
or when flu and cold germs are circulating.
This policy was adopted at a meeting at
Rascals Day Nursery
Held on
27th July 2015
Date to be reviewed
27th July 2016
Signed on behalf of Rascals
Position
Manager