When children are sick, they should usually be taken care of at home. However, for chronic or longer term conditions children may need to be given medication whilst at nursery. The following procedure outlines the nursery’s policy on administering medications:
Administering medicine
- Painkillers such as Acamol/ Nurofen is NOT allowed to be given at nursery, and children who have been given fever reducing medication (for whatever reason) may not attend gan
- Medication designed to lower children’s temperatures cannot be given, as this could mask important indicators that a child is sick or unwell. Children who have taken this type of medication (what for whatever reason) may not attend nursery
- Staff may administer medication to children where prior written permission has been given by parents/carers. This must be provided on a Rainbow Medication form
- Antibiotics can only be administered if the child has already been given it for 24 hours. For the first 24 hours children must be taken care of at home. Additionally, children MUST be excluded from nursery in accordance with the exclusion policy
- Any medication given to children MUST be their own.
- Medication should be CLEARLY labelled with the child’s name and stored in the kitchen area, away from children’s reach and refrigerated if required.
- Medication should NOT be kept at nursery overnight.
- Staff must record the time and dose medication was administered on the child’s medication form
- Medication prescribed in someone else’s name should never be administrated by nursery staff, even at the request of the parent.