SICKNESS AND ILLNESS

 

January 2024

Children should not be left at nursery if they are unwell. If a child is unwell then they will prefer to be at
home with their parent(s) rather than at nursery with their peers. We will follow these procedures to
ensure the welfare of all children within the nursery:

• If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, their parent(s) will be contacted and asked to pick
their child up as soon as possible. During this time the child will be cared for in a quiet, calm area
with their key person
• If a child develops a temperature 38c or above whilst at nursery, parents will be asked to collect
the child and the child should not return to nursery until they are clear of the temperature or for
at least 24 hours from the time they developed a temperature.
• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea, they should not return
to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours
• It is vital that we follow the advice given to us by our registering authority and exclude specific
contagious conditions, e.g. sickness, diarrhoea and chicken pox to protect other children in the
nursery. Illnesses of this nature are very contagious and it is exceedingly unfair to expose other
children to the risk of an infection
• If a contagious infection is identified in the nursery, parents will be informed to enable them to
spot the early signs of this illness. All equipment and resources that may have come into contact
with a contagious child will be cleaned and sterilised thoroughly to reduce the spread of infection
• It is important that children are not subjected to the rigours of the nursery day, which requires
socialising with other children and being part of a group setting, when they have first become ill
and require a course of antibiotics. The nursery has the right to refuse admission to a child who
is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager/Deputy on duty and is non-negotiable
• 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.

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Meningitis procedure

If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis, the nursery manager should contact the
Infection Control (IC) Nurse for their area, and Ofsted and Social Services. 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.

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Transporting children to hospital procedure

• If the sickness is severe, call for an ambulance immediately. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick
child in your own vehicle
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• A senior member of staff must accompany the child and collect together relevant information,
relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter. A member of the management
team must also be informed 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.

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This policy will be reviewed annually by the Day Care Manager