Teething Gel?

[AnonyMouse_12845]

Me again!!!

 

Was wondering what your views are n giving teething gel within a Day Nursery setting. Our Medication Policy states we can only administer Prescribed medication including Calpol. We can however apply nappy creams with just written consent from a parent/carer. I feel it would be fine to give teething gel and powders that are over the counter but would like your views.....if possible copies of Medication Policies would be good!

 

Thanks Guys x

[Guest]

The legal guidance allows you to give over-the-counter medication such as pain and fever relief or teething gel. However, you must get written permission beforehand from parents. And, you must follow the same recording procedures as those for prescribed medication.

You must only give medication when asked to do so by a parent and if there is an accepted health reason to do so.

 

HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU REQUIRED ITS FROM OFSTED

[AnonyMouse_30128]

try looking at managing medicines

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/84514

it would suggest not giving these unless it was detrimental to the child not to do so

[Guest]

Sorry dont know how to send the website via attachment

 

Giving medication to children in registered childcare

A childcare factsheet

 

The Childcare Act 2006 says childcare is ‘any form of care for a child including education or any other supervised activity’.

Most childcare providers caring for children under eight years old must register with Ofsted unless the law says they do not need to.

We register childcare providers on the following two registers.

 The Early Years Register

 The Childcare Register

Introductory reading is in Registering childcare providers from September 2008, which is on our website (www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080043).

Introduction

This factsheet explains our understanding of the legal requirements for giving medication to children in registered childcare.

The requirements

The Early Years Register

Providers on the Early Years Register must meet the legal requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/site/resource/pdfs.htm). There are three legal requirements that apply to all providers about giving medication to children. As a provider you must:

 have, and put into practice, an effective policy on giving medicines to children in your setting, which must include effective systems to support children with medical needs

 keep written records of all medicines you give to children, and tell parents about these records; and

 

 get written permission from parents for every medicine before you give any medication.

‘Prescribe’ and ‘prescription’

You must take account of the guidance set out in the Statutory Framework…. This states that ‘medicines must not usually be administered unless they have been prescribed for that child by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist’.

When we use the word ‘prescribe’ we mean medicine that is recommended.

When we use the word ‘prescription’ we mean written instructions from a doctor or dentist.

Most pharmacists cannot write prescriptions and can only prepare the medicine as instructed by a doctor or dentist. However, they can recommend (prescribe)

over-the-counter medicines such as teething gels, when children are teething, or painkillers, when children have a temperature.

Recent changes in the law mean that qualified nurse independent prescribers, and pharmacist independent prescribers, can prescribe any licensed medicine for any medical condition they have been trained to specialise in. For nurses, this includes some controlled drugs.

So, you can give medication that is recommended by a pharmacist or nurse without a written prescription, as well as any medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist or an appropriately qualified pharmacist or nurse.

Over-the-counter medication

The legal guidance allows you to give over-the-counter medication such as pain and fever relief or teething gel. However, you must get written permission beforehand from parents. And, you must follow the same recording procedures as those for prescribed medication.

You must only give medication when asked to do so by a parent and if there is an accepted health reason to do so.

The Statutory Framework… recommends that children under 16 should never be given medicines containing aspirin unless a doctor has prescribed that medicine for that child. You should make this clear to parents and take account of this when putting in place your medication policy.

If you already have written permission to give a particular over-the-counter medication to a child, and you need to, you do not have to get written permission every time you give it. However, you may consider it good practice to ask the parent to sign the written record, which you must complete, to confirm that you have told

[AnonyMouse_12845]

Thank you that helps lots x