At Priory Family Centre Nursery We Believe That Effective Planning Needs to Be Purposeful

Taylor Hill, Cawthorne

Barnsley, South Yorkshire

S75 4HB

Cawthorne Children’s Centre

Managing Medicines Policy and Procedures

We aim to respond positively to and support children’s medical needs. Children with such varying long or short term needs will have the same rights of admission and inclusion in the nursery as all other children. We promote the good health of children attending the setting.

This policy is written in line with the Department of Health ‘Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings’. We also take account of relevant ‘NICE’ guidelines (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

Parents Roles and Responsibilities

• The setting will work closely with parents/carers regarding their child’s medical needs in order to effectively and safely support the children with such needs.

• Parents have prime responsibility for their child’s health and should provide the nursery service with information regarding their child’s medical needs.

• Parents must advise us of any changes to their child’s health or medication needs immediately. We will review long term care plans and any long term medication needs every three months and when a child moves rooms.

Staff Roles and Responsibilities

• Full information regarding a child’s medical needs is gained at the initial visit and is recorded on the child’s files and shared with the team working with the child.

• For any child requiring short term medication staff will be responsible for ensuring parents fill the relevant permission and medication form.

• Staff will follow the correct procedures for managing, administering, storing and recording medication.

• Where possible, one member of staff will administer the medication, witnessed by a second staff member. Both are required to sign the form.

• Staff will work positively with parents/carers to ensure they are fully aware of any medical needs, keeping up to date with any changes.

• We will review long term care plans and any long term medication needs every three months and when a child moves rooms.

Manager’s Roles and Responsibilities

• The manager of the setting will ensure that all the staff team have read, understood and follow the Managing Medicines Policy and Procedures

• Staff will receive support and training where necessary.

• The manager, in consultation with the staff team, will agree with parents what support can be provided for a child’s medical needs and where necessary will seek advice and support other appropriate professionals.

• The manager will provide support and advice to staff via regular team meeting.

Prescribed Medication

• Medication should only be brought to nursery for staff to administer if it is essential and would be detrimental to a child’s health if the medicine was not to be administered during the session. Where possible parents/carers should administer the medication before the child arrives at the session or after leaving. Parents will be encouraged to ask the prescriber if clinically appropriate to prescribe in dose frequencies which enable it to be taken outside of nursery hours.

We understand that children may occasionally have short and longer term medical needs and we will support these by adhering to procedures in the following ways:

• We will only accept and administer medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber or pharmacist unless this is an emergency situation and it would be at the detriment to the child’s health if we did not administer medication.

• Medicines must be clearly labeled, with details of child’s name, medicine name, date, storage, dosage, instructions for administering and provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist.

• If the administration of prescription medicines requires technical/medical knowledge then individual training will be provided for staff from a qualified health professional. Training will be specific to the individual child concerned.

• Staff should check each time prior to administering that they have the correct information - child’s name, prescribed dose, expiry date and written instructions provided by prescriber.

• We will not, under any circumstances, accept or administer any medicines that have not been taken out of the original container, nor will be make changes to dosages on parental instructions.

• Medicine will only be given where parents have given written consent. This should be recorded, prior to any administering of medication, on the Parental Consent for Cawthorne Children’s Centre to administer medication Form.

• Parents and staff in the nursery must supply and record the time and amount of last dose each time the child moves between nursery to parents and vice versa. This should be dated and signed on handover.

• At the time of administration of medication to the child, two members of staff will be involved; one to give the medication and one to check and witness the correct preparation details and dosage is given.

• Each time a dosage is administered, the MAR chart must be filled in to record all details including, date, time given, dosage given, any reaction, staff/carer names/signature on collection.

• If a child refuses to take medication, we will not force them to do so. Parents will be informed immediately and encouraged, if necessary, to attend the nursery and administer the medication themselves.

Non Prescribed Medication

• Non-prescribed medication will not normally be administered. Only under emergency circumstances would we agree to administer non-prescribed medication.For example, if a child developed a very high temperature, appears distressed or unwell and the parents were unable to collect the child immediately then we may decide that it would be at the detriment to the child’s health if we did not administer paracetamol/ibuprofen on this occasion.

• In such circumstances, where the child is so unwell they need medication, the parent/carer will be contacted prior to the administration of the pain relief to check if the child has been given any prior to arrival at the centre and to arrange collection of the child from nursery. We will not use paracetamol/ibuprofen with the sole aim of reducing the body temperature of a child with a fever who is otherwise well. Please note: paracetamol/ibuprofen cannot be given to babies less than three months old unless prescribed by a doctor.

• We will keep pain relief in sachet form for the above purpose. This ensures a measured dose and limits the possibility of contamination.

• If a child’s parent/carer requests that the setting gives their child non-prescribed medication, i.e. pain relief medicine, we would first assess if the child should either stop attending for the period of time they are ill, or if the medication can be given prior to or at the end of each session by the parent themselves.

• Where possible if the non-prescribed medication can be obtained by a GP on prescription then parents will be asked to do this.

• As with prescribed medication, parents will be required to give written consent (for emergency calpol written permission is collected upon registration) and forms must be filled in with details of any medicines given and this checked and signed for by parent/carers and staff.

• Teething products such as gels or crystals will be administered at the parent’s request, with written permission. Any products used will be used in accordance with the stated instruction from the packaging, unless prescribed, then the prescriber’s instructions will be followed. Records of administration will be kept.

Storage

• Medicines will be stored in accordance with product instructions, ie in temperature controlled environment, fridge, room temperature.

• They must be stored in original container as dispensed by a pharmacist.

• If a child needs more than one prescribed medication they should be in separate and original containers.

• All medicines will be stored in the non-portable locked cabinet situated in reception area which is inaccessible to children.

• Where medication is required to be stored in the fridge it will be clearly labeled and staff informed about whom this is for and only the nursery staff are to handle it.

• Once medication has been administered, then it is returned to the storage cabinet.

Recording

• Parents will be required to fill in and sign a Parental Consent Form and the MAR chart medication form.

• Each time medication is administered by the staff at the setting then a MAR chart (Medication form) will be completed and parents asked to sign when they collect their child.

• Parents and staff in the nursery must supply the time and amount of last dose and record each time the child moves between nursery to parents and vice versa. This should be dated and signed on handover.

• For long term medical needs, trip and outings, or where a child has individual specific medical needs we will refer to the DOH Managing Medicine in Schools and Early Years Settings documents.

The definition of a high temperature is 38 ° C

Many children can walk around with a high temperature and be asymptomatic so the practitioners would need to assess if the child is showing other symptoms etc, if there are no symptoms then in reality no treatment is required. The range for the temperature becoming significant particularly when in context of other symptoms also changes with age range:

• Less than 3 months old would be no higher than 38 ° C but it should be noted that paracetamol/ibuprofen cannot be given to babies less than three months old unless prescribed by a doctor.
• 3-6 months of age 38.9 ° C
• 6 months upwards 39 ° C

These recommendations are based on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline ‘Feverish illness in children. Assessment and initial management in children younger than 5 years’.

Sarah Baker

Revised July 2015

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