Nursery sickness and illness policy

At The University of Dundee Day Nursery Ltd we promote the good health of all children attending. To help keep children healthy and minimise infection, we do not expect children to attend nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell, it is in their best interest to be in a home environment with adults, they know well rather than at nursery with their peers.

Our procedures

In order to take appropriate action of children become ill and to minimise the spread of infection we implement the following procedures:

• If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, we contact their parent(s) and ask them to pick up their child as soon as possible. During this time, we care for the child in a quiet, calm area with their key worker, wherever possible
• We follow the guidance on Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings) given to us by the Infection Control Team Scotland and the exclusion criteria from the ‘Childcare and Childminding Settings’ guidance on exclusion times for specific illnesses, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, measles and chicken pox to protect other children in the nursery
• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea, they must not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours. We notify the Care Inspectorate as soon as possible and in all cases within 14 days of the incident where we have any child or staff member with a notifiable disease such as food poisoning
• We inform all parents if there is a contagious infection identified in the nursery, to enable them to spot the early signs of this illness. We thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment and resources that may have meet a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection
• We are expecting that first dose of new antibiotic for a child it will be given by parents at home and child cannot return to nursery 24hours after first doze of antibiotic.
• We have 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
• We make information/posters about head lice 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 and the Care Inspectorate. 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. We will follow all guidance given and ensure that the appropriate authority is notified.

Transporting children to hospital procedure

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the sickness is severe. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick child in your own vehicle
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication, and the child’s comforter
• Inform a member of the management team 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. Staff may also require additional support following the accident.
• If child not well we will appreciate if parents could inform nursery as soon as possible.