All reasonably appropriate steps are taken to protect children from illness and infection.
Illness and Infection Control Procedures
- Cleaning and sterilising play areas.
- Daily cleaning of toys and other resources.
- Ensuring children wash hands after use in sand, water, messy play, cooking, and playdough.
- Providing tissues, a lidded bin, and hand wipes for children to use independently, monitoring their use and requiring hand washing afterward.
- Teaching children to cough or sneeze into their elbows (like an elephant) and then wash their hands.
- Using good handwashing techniques to prevent the spread of infection and cross-contamination.
- Teaching children to wash their hands regularly and effectively.
- Dealing with bodily fluids safely.
- Keeping children safe around animals.
- Talking to children about health, safety, germs, and viruses appropriate to their age and understanding.
Procedures if a Child Falls Ill
If a child falls ill, parents will be asked to collect them as quickly as possible and keep them at home for the advised exclusion period, including:
- 48 hours after the last bout of diarrhoea or sickness.
- 10 days for coronavirus symptoms.
- Until they are better after colds, flu, etc.
- Following Health Protection England guidance for other common childhood illnesses.
I reserve the right to contact emergency services if concerned or unable to reach parents quickly. In the meantime:
- The child will be treated using first aid and/or medication (with prior written permission) if appropriate.
- The child will be isolated if necessary.
- Every effort will be made to telephone parents to collect the child.
- In an emergency, 999 / 111 will be contacted for further advice.
- Emergency contacts will be phoned if parents are not available.
As a general rule, if a child is unable to participate in normal daily routines, is irritable, continuously crying, or requires more attention than can safely be provided without affecting the wellbeing of other children, they should stay at home with parents. If parents are ill, please consider whether it is safe to bring your child. If someone else is collecting your child, a password must be supplied.
If staff are ill, parents will be contacted as soon as reasonably practicable and asked to collect the child. Staff carry Emergency Contact Information for children on outings. Public Health England advice will be followed for staff illness related to coronavirus.
Confidentiality
Where possible, confidentiality will be maintained; however, details of illnesses may be shared if advised by the Local Authority, Public Health England, Ofsted, or other agencies. See the Confidentiality Policy for more information.
Reporting a Notifiable Disease
It is the duty of the attending doctor to determine whether a disease is notifiable and inform the Local Authority. Providers must inform the Local Authority, Ofsted, and the Health Protection Agency when required by the statutory framework.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.