SICKNESS & ILLNESS POLICY

On arrival at every Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery, it is essential for parents to notify staff about their child’s state of health, whether the child is suffering or has recently suffered from any illness, has had a loose motion, an above normal temperature or has been vomiting.

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery follows the Health Protection Agency guidance on infection control and seeks advice from them if necessary. Any notifiable illness with be reported to the HPA. Any serious illness will be reported to Ofsted.

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
• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as 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 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 24 hours of the course
• 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 will contact the Infection Control (IC) Nurse for their area, Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries Ltd Head Office 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.

TRANSPORTING CHILDREN TO HOSPITAL PROCEDURE

• If the sickness is severe, call for an ambulance immediately. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick child in your own vehicle
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent 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, care plans and risk assessments, medication and the child’s comforter. A member of the management team must also be informed immediately
• Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance

MINIMUM TIME CHILDREN SHOULD BE AWAY FROM NURSERY DUE TO ILLNESS:

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery must be informed if a child has a contagious disease/illness in order to prevent the illness spreading. Such information will be treated sensitively and in a confidential manner.

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery follows the ‘Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings’ to prevent the spread of the infection.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947358374

(PLEASE SEE ATTACHMENT)

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery may reserve the right to request a letter from the child’s GP before allowing them to return to the nursery

Exclusion periods for common infectious illnesses (THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE):