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health
safety
staff
Parents
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Administering Medication PolicyIf your child needs to take medication prescribed by a doctor, please discuss this with the manager. We will need you to sign any additional and relevant permission/medication forms.
Children prescribed antibiotics may attend the nursery provided they are well enough to participate in normal activities. Exclusion periods will follow current UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance for specific infectious illnesses. All medicine given to the setting to administer must be in its original bottle/container and not decanted. It must have the manufacturer's guidelines on it and, if a prescription medication, the details from the doctor/pharmacy. Medicines will be stored safely, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, and out of the reach of children. Medicines requiring refrigeration will be stored in a refrigerator. Parents are asked to administer a medication at home before the setting administers it for the first time. Non-prescription medicines, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, will only be administered where it is in the child's best interests, where written parental permission has been obtained, and where there is a clear health reason for administration. If children are having to have Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and any other pain relief regularly throughout the day they are not well enough to attend nursery. Parents must inform the nursery if a child has been given Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, or other medication before arrival, including the dose and time administered. The manager will assess whether the child is well enough to attend and participate in normal nursery activities. If your child has a self-held medication (for example, a schoolchild with a self-administered inhaler), please obtain an additional one to be kept at the setting. If your child has acute allergies and needs an epi-pen, please discuss the matter with the manager. Parents must provide prescribed emergency medication, such as an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI/EpiPen) or inhaler, which must remain available whenever the child attends the setting. Parents are responsible for ensuring medication is in date and replaced before expiry. Children with long-term medical conditions, allergies, asthma, epilepsy or other health needs may require an Individual Healthcare Plan, agreed with parents and relevant healthcare professionals where appropriate. The EYFS Framework states that medicines must only be given to a child where the setting has written permission to do so. Written parental permission must be obtained for each medication before it is administered. For ongoing or emergency medications, a separate medication consent form and healthcare plan may be agreed with parents where appropriate. If we do not have written permission, we will be unable to administer these medications. Only staff who have received appropriate training and/or instruction will administer medication. Where specialised medical procedures are required, staff will receive training from a suitably qualified healthcare professional. We will only administer non-prescription medicine if it is in the child’s best interests, and if the child is unwell, we may send them home rather than administer medication. Staff will record all medication administered each time it is administered and request a parental signature at the end of each day. The permission form will be regularly reviewed to ensure that there are no changes, for example a child may no longer be able to take some medication or may need an additional form. However, we ask that parents inform us as soon as possible if a child is no longer able to be administered a particular medication. Even if you have signed a form, the manager may still contact you by telephone to check that staff can administer this medication. This is to protect your child, you, and the setting. It is vital that you inform the manager of any medication you may have given your child before they arrive at our care. The manager needs to know what medicine they have had, the dose and time given. You will need to provide the manager with the non-prescription medicine, and it must be in its original packaging/bottle/tube. If you have any concerns regarding medication, please do not hesitate to discuss them with the manager. On outings, any long-term medications will be taken with us and administered according to the instructions of parents/carers, e.g. asthma inhalers.
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