Tiddlywinks Day Nursery Child Care: Sickness Guidance

It is our policy that any child with a contagious illness shall not be admitted into the nursery. This includes illnesses such as sickness and diarrhoea, measles, German measles, swine flu, chicken pox and hand, foot and mouth disease.

If symptoms of any of the above become apparent in the nursery then the parents/carers will be contacted to collect them immediately. If the children are out on a trip then parents/carers will be expected to collect their child from nursery. If your child is ill they must be kept off nursery.

· In the case of sickness and diarrhoea, the child needs to be clear of sickness and diarrhoea for 48hrs before returning to the nursery.

· In the case of chicken pox, all spots need to be crusted over before returning  after a chicken pox outbreak.

· There is a 3-5 day incubation period for Hand Foot and Mouth to avoid it spreading. 

· If the child shows signs of conjunctivitis, parents/carers will be contacted to either take them to the GP or make an appointment (This depends on the severity of the infection) .Ideally we ask parents to return when treatment is complete, but in mild cases where the child is not distressed or scratching the infected eye, they may remain at the nursery or return without treatment. 

· In the event of ringworm children or staff are permitted into the Centre providing the cream is applied and the area is covered. (Refer to the Ringworm Policy).

All contagious illnesses should be reported to Sue or Chloe as soon as possible so they can inform all other parents/carers.

Administering any Medications:

· We only administer Calpol, Ibuprofen and Pirton when required. Permission for this is obtained during registration. 

· Only management or senior staff who hold a Level 3 qualification and Paediatric First Aid can administer medicine, all staff are trained for Paediatric First Aid,  Staff may also give urgent medication such as Pirton, inhalers and Epi-Pens, providing they have been trained to do so (this is only in times of absolute emergency). When medicine is administered, staff sign and date together with a witness signature. 

Sickness:

If at any point during the child’s day we feel that they are unwell or showing signs of any contagious illness, a member of the management/senior staff will inform the parent/carer or other contact and if it’s necessary for them to arrange for the child to be collected. This should be done so as soon as possible.

Whilst waiting for collection, a staff member will move the sick child away from the other children and make sure that they are comfortable and cared for by a staff member. Any information needed is logged down via a child illness report sheet ready for when they are collected by their parent/carer.

Contagious Diseases:

We notify the Health Protection Agency of any infectious outbreaks such as swine flu, tuberculosis, measles and such like. Refer to recommended list on www.hpa.org.uk or call 08442 253 560.