Administration of Medication Policy

Administration of Medicine Policy
 

Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery places the child’s well-being at the very core of the ethos of the setting. Staff are paediatric first aid trained but it is not a compulsory part of their job to administer medicine, and we respect the agreement and decision made by each individual member of staff. There will, however, always be staff wiling to administer medicine on site, and for any clarification of this matter please check with the Manager.  

We have named co-ordinators, Brittany (ROMFORD) Patricia, Hayley or Kim (ONGAR) who are jointly responsible for all matters regarding First Aid.  

Aim  

It is our aim to safeguard and maintain the well-being of all children within the Nursery and the staff who look after them. Truly Scrumptious Early Year’s Nursery works in partnership with parents and information sharing in this area is vital so that staff respect and are aware of cultural, ethical, or religious reasons which may relate directly to the administration of medicine.  

Method  

The following procedure must be adhered to by parents and staff for the health and well-being of all children in the administration of medicine OR creams:  

Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery requires written consent via a medication form in advance from parents which clearly shows:  

CHILD’S FULL NAME AND ADDRESS  

CHILD’S D.O.B.  

DATE OF PRESCRIPTION AND EXPIRY DATE  

DURATION OF MEDICINE  

DOSAGE & STORAGE
 

If medication has NOT been prescribed for the child by a GP or medical professional or has expired its date, this includes Calpol, Nurofen or antihistamines. Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery will not administer it.  

The medication must be in its original container, in date and must be accurate for the ailment (i.e., Eye drops prescribed for an ear infection or for a sibling or relative not the child named)

In extreme circumstances the manager may make the decision to administer emergency Calpol to children if a child’s temperature becomes high or raised in the agreement that the parents are on their way to collect the child. This will only be carried out if the manager has sought permission from the parent. Giving non-prescription medication will be a last resort and the nursery staff will use other methods first to try and alleviate the symptoms, e.g. for an increase in temperature the nursery will remove clothing, use fanning, tepid cooling with a wet flannel. The child will be closely monitored until the parents collect the child.  

If the nursery feels the child would benefit from medical attention rather than non-prescription medication, we reserve the right to refuse nursery care until the child is seen by a medical practitioner  

A manager must record every occasion of administering the medication confirming the time & dosage of administration and which member of staff did so. The staff member will then sign the form.  

Written permission is required for emergency treatment of chronic illnesses, such as asthma where inhalers may need to be given on a long-term basis. If a child has been hospitalised due to an illness, we will contact the child’s health visitor for a multi-agency meeting together with the parents and draw up a health care plan. If a child has an asthma pump but not been hospitalised, Brittany, Caroline (ROMFORD) Patricia, Hayley, or Kim (ONGAR) will draw up a health care plan and train all staff to the child’s individual needs.  

Staff will be asked to attend training to meet specific needs concerning administration of medicine, or other health related matters.  

The Nursery Manager will make parents aware of any changes in information.  

Only Level 3 qualified staff with first aid training will be permitted to administer medicine.  

In an emergency, an ambulance will be called for and parents informed immediately.
 

Monitoring  

The Nursery Managers will monitor staff to ensure the procedures are being carried out, and that they are clear to all. Staff will be asked to feedback at meetings any areas of concern or to identify training needs that they may.  

Storage  

All medication will be stored in a small fridge located in the nursery office (ONGAR) OR In the fridge in the kitchen. Medication that does not need to be refrigerated will be kept in a locked cupboard located in the bathroom of the office. All medication will be individually bagged and labelled with names, D.O.B, name of medication and prescription dates.  

Once the prescription /course has finished any containers or remaining medication will be returned to the parent/ named guardian to dispose of and signed for.  

Emergency nursery supply of fever relief (e.g Calpol) and anti-histamines (e.g. Piriton) will be stored on site. This will be checked at regular intervals by the designated trained first aider to make sure that it complies with any instructions for storage and is still in date  

Staff Medication  

Staff medication on the premises must be securely stored in the medicine cupboard located in the manager’s office, if the medication needs to have refrigerated them it must be stored in the fridge in the office in a lidded and labelled box or bag. Staff must inform their manager if they are bringing any medicine on to the premises and ensure that it doesn’t impair their ability work. Providers must ensure that those practitioners taking medication, medical advice confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that staff member’s ability to look after children properly.  

Review  

The policy will be reviewed yearly, and amendments and changes will be carried out in conjunction with the Nursery staff, through liaison by the Manager and deputy manager.  

Policy reviewed Hayley Binion – Manager –August 2024