Medication Policy

At Caring Hands Nursery, we promote the good health of children attending nursery and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection (see 4. Sickness and Illness Policy and 4a. Infection Control). If a child requires medicine, we will obtain information about the child’s needs for this, and will ensure this information is kept up to date

Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist

Prescription medicine will only be given to the person named on the bottle for the dosage stated and as long as it has not exceeded its expiry date
Medicines must be in their original containers
Those with parental responsibility for any child requiring prescription medication should hand over the medication to the most appropriate member of staff who will then note the details of the administration on the appropriate medication form and a senior member of staff will check these details

Those with parental responsibility must give prior written permission for the administration of each and every medication. However, we will accept written permission once for a whole course of medication or for the ongoing use of a particular medication under the following circumstances:

The written permission is only acceptable for that brand name of medication and cannot be used for similar types of medication, e.g. if the course of antibiotics changes, a new form will need to be completed
The dosage on the written permission is the only dosage that will be administered. We will not give a different dose unless a new form is completed
Parents must notify us IMMEDIATELY if the child’s circumstances change, e.g. a dose has been given at home, or a change in strength/dose needs to be given.

The nursery will not administer a dosage that exceeds the recommended dose on the instructions unless accompanied by written instructions from a relevant health professional such as a letter from a doctor or dentist
The parent must be asked when the child has last been given the medication before coming to nursery; and the staff member must record this information on the medication form. Similarly, when the child is picked up, the parent or guardian must be given precise details of the times and dosage given throughout the day. The parent’s signature must be obtained at both times
At the time of administering the medicine, a first aid trained member of staff will ask the child to take the medicine or offer it in a manner acceptable to the child at the prescribed time and in the prescribed form. (It is important to note that staff working with children are not legally obliged to administer medication)
If the child refuses to take the appropriate medication, then a note will be made on the form
Where medication is “essential” or may have side effects, discussion with the parent will take place to establish the appropriate response.

Non-prescription medication (these will not usually be administrated)

The nursery will not administer any non-prescription medication containing aspirin
The nursery will only administer non-prescription medication for a short initial period, dependant on the medication or the condition of 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
If a child needs liquid paracetamol or similar medication during their time at nursery, such medication will be treated as prescription medication with the onus being on the parent to provide the medicine
On registration, parents will be asked if they would like to fill out a medication form to consent to their child being given a specific type of liquid paracetamol or antihistamine in particular circumstances such as an increase in the child’s temperature, a wasp/bee sting or an unexpected allergic reaction. This form will state the dose to be given, the circumstances in which this can be given e.g. the temperature increase of their child, the specific brand name or type of non-prescription medication and a signed statement to say that this may be administered in an emergency if the nursery CANNOT contact the parent. We will always try and get in contact with parents before providing any emergency medication, to ensure we have the full picture of the child’s health.
An emergency nursery supply of fever relief (e.g Calpol) and antihistamines (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.
We will only provide 5ml of Calpol to a child as an ‘emergency dose’, parents must be notified before giving the medication. We need consent. This is to make sure there is no accidental overdose. A parent may have given the child a dose and forgot to tell us.

If a child does exhibit the symptoms for which consent has been given to give non-prescription medication during the day will make every attempt to contact the child’s parents. Where parents cannot be contacted then the nursery manager will take the decision as to whether the child is safe to have this medication based on the time the child has been in the nursery, the circumstances surrounding the need for this medication and the medical history of the child on their registration form. 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 excess clothing such as shoes or a jumper. We will give fluid such as water or dilated juice; this will gently cool the child as well as keep them hydrated. The child will be closely monitored until the parents collect the child

Medication Policy