04 Health policy

Aim

Our provision is a suitable, clean, and safe place for children to be cared for, where they can grow and learn. They meet all statutory requirements for promoting health and hygiene and fulfil the criteria for meeting the relevant Early Years Foundation Stage Safeguarding and Welfare requirements.

Objectives

We promote health through:

· ensuring emergency and first aid treatment is given where necessary

· ensuring that medicine necessary to maintain health is given correctly and in accordance with legal requirements

· identifying allergies and preventing contact with the allergenic substance

· identifying food ingredients that contain recognised allergens and displaying this information for parents

· promoting health through taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection and taking appropriate action when children are ill

· promoting healthy lifestyle choices through diet and exercise

· pandemic flu planning or illness outbreak management as per DfE and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance

Legal references

Medicines Act (1968)

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (2002)  

Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981

Food Information Regulations 2014

Further guidance

Accident Record (Early Years Alliance 2019)

 04.5 Poorly children

• If a child appears unwell during the day, for example has a raised temperature, sickness, diarrhoea or pains, particularly in the head or stomach then the setting manager calls the parents and asks them to collect the child or send a known carer to collect on their behalf.

• If a child has a raised temperature, they are kept cool by removing top clothing, sponging their heads with cool water and kept away from draughts.

• A child’s temperature is taken and checked regularly, using Fever Scans or other means i.e. ear thermometer.

• In an emergency an ambulance is called and the parents are informed.

• Parents are advised to seek medical advice before returning them to the setting; the setting can refuse admittance to children who have a raised temperature, sickness and diarrhoea or a contagious infection or disease.

• Where children have been prescribed antibiotics for an infectious illness or complaint, parents are asked to keep them at home for 48 hours.

• After diarrhoea or vomiting, parents are asked to keep children home for 48 hours following the last episode.

• Some activities such as sand and water play and self-serve snack will be suspended for the duration of any outbreak.

• The setting has information about excludable diseases and exclusion times.

• The setting manager notifies their line manager if there is an outbreak of an infection (affects more than 3-4 children) and keeps a record of the numbers and duration of each event.

• The setting manager has a list of notifiable diseases and contacts Public Health England (PHE) and Ofsted in the event of an outbreak.

• If staff suspect that a child who falls ill whilst in their care is suffering from a serious disease that may have been contracted abroad such as Ebola, immediate medical assessment is required. The setting manager or deputy calls NHS111 and informs parents.

HIV/AIDS procedure

HIV virus, like other viruses such as Hepatitis, (A, B and C), are spread through body fluids. Hygiene precautions for dealing with body fluids are the same for all children and adults.

• Single use vinyl gloves and aprons are worn when changing children’s nappies, pants and clothing that are soiled with blood, urine, faeces or vomit.

• Protective rubber gloves are used for cleaning/sluicing clothing after changing.

• Soiled clothing is rinsed and bagged for parents to collect.

• Spills of blood, urine, faeces or vomit are cleared using mild disinfectant solution and mops; cloths used are disposed of with clinical waste.

• Tables and other furniture or toys affected by blood, urine, faeces or vomit are cleaned using a disinfectant.

Nits and head lice

• Nits and head lice are not an excludable condition; although in exceptional cases parents may be asked to keep the child away from the setting until the infestation has cleared.

• On identifying cases of head lice, all parents are informed and asked to treat their child and all the family, using current recommended treatments methods if they are found.

**Paracetamol based medicines (e.g. Calpol)

The use of paracetamol-based medicine may not be agreed in all cases. A setting cannot take bottles of non-prescription medicine from parents to hold on a ‘just in case’ basis, unless there is an immediate reason for doing so. Settings do not normally keep such medicine on the premises as they are not allowed to ‘prescribe’. However, given the risks to very young babies of high temperatures, insurers may allow minor infringement of the regulations as the risk of not administering may be greater. Ofsted is normally in agreement with this. In all cases, parents of children under two years must sign to say they agree to the setting administering paracetamol-based medicine in the case of high temperature on the basis that they are on their way to collect. Such medicine should never be used to reduce temperature so that a child can stay in the care of the setting for a normal day. The use of emergency medicine does not apply to children over 2 years old. A child over two who is not well, and has a temperature, must be kept cool and the parents asked to collect straight away.

Whilst the brand name Calpol is referenced, there are other products which are paracetamol or Ibuprofen based pain and fever relief such as Nurofen for children over 3 months.

Further guidance

Good Practice in Early Years Infection Control (Pre-school Learning Alliance 2009)

Medication Administration Record (Early Years Alliance 2019)

Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare and early education settings (Public Health Agency) https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in%20schools_poster.pdf