8.12 Child Illness |
In partnership with parents and carers, Wakefield MDC has a duty of care to maintain safety and welfare of all children who access its Early Years Services. Effective response to childhood illnesses is a responsibility for all nursery settings. We will always follow medical guidance when fulfilling that responsibility.
Should a child be unwell when they are due to attend a nursery session, parents/carer's must let the setting know as soon as possible. If a child becomes ill at home having recently attended nursery, parents are asked to inform nursery staff who will be vigilant in observing for symptom of the illness in other children attending the setting. It is the nursery policy to monitor children for signs and symptoms of communicable diseases such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, hepatitis, diarrhoea, vomiting and fevers of 101(F/38(C or over.
Should a child fall sick whilst they are at nursery they will be assessed by the first aider and treated appropriately. Should the child be too unwell to stay at nursery OR have one of the illnesses below, they will be kept in isolation until parents can collect them. Parents or an adult designated by parents will be contacted as soon as a decision is made to exclude the child. Children will be allowed to return to nursery either in line with the scales outlined OR with a doctor's note saying it is safe for them to do so. The parents must take note of the exclusion periods as specified below.
If a child falls seriously ill whilst they are in the care of the nursery, the Accident and Emergency and First Aid Procedures will be followed.
Exclusion Procedure for Illness/Communicable Disease
Minimum Periods of Exclusion from Nursery
| Disease/Illness | Minimal Exclusion Period |
| Antibiotics prescribed | Child to remain at home for 24 hours following first dose of medication |
| Temperature | If sent home ill, child must be off for 24 hours |
| Vomiting | Child must remain at home for 48 hours following last episode |
| Conjunctivitis | Child to remain at home for 24 hours following first dose of medication |
| Diarrhoea | 48 hours or two days following last episode of diarrhoea |
| Chickenpox | 5 days from appearance of the rash of until spots have crusted over |
| Gastro-enteritis, food poisoning, salmonellosis and dysentery | Until authorised by District Community Physician |
| Infective hepatitis | 7 days from onset of jaundice |
| Measles | 4 days from appearance of the rash |
| Meningococcal infection | Until recovered from the illness |
| Mumps | Until the swelling has subsided and in no case less than 5 days from onset of illness |
| Pertussis (Whooping cough) | 21 days from the onset of paroxysmal cough |
| Poliomyelitis | Until declared free from infection by District Community Physician |
| Scarlet fever and streptococcal infection of the throat | Child can return 24 hours after commencing appropriate antibiotic treatment |
| Tuberculosis | Until declared free from infection by the District Community Physician |
| Typhoid fever | Until declared free from infection by the District Community Physician |
| Impetigo | Until the skin is healed of 48 hours after commencing antibiotic treatment |
| Pediculosis (lice) | None |
| Plantar warts | No exclusion. Should be treated and covered |
| Ringworm of scalp | None |
| Ringworm of body | Seldom necessary to exclude provided treatment is being given |
| Scabies | Child can return after administration of first treatment |
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