Inspection of 7 July 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (b) Conversation with staff confirmed there was no person in charge or a named deputy person in charge on the premises when the inspectors arrived unannounced to the service. (3) Documentary evidence available indicated that one adult did not have their references validated prior to commencing employment in the service. (4) Evidence of qualifications was not available for three staff members currently employed to work directly with the children. 1. There was no evidence of a qualification for one staff member. 2. Documentation available for review for two staff members one of which was new to the service since Regulation 9 was last inspected, did not demonstrate that a full award had been achieved. Regulation 9(4) was found to be non-compliant on the previous inspection of the service dated 25 November 2024. In response to this previous non-compliance the registered provider stated ‘Staff member 1 with no cert will not be working at the service until the cert/transcript of results is available this is expected by mid-January 2025. Staff member 2 with no cert is awaiting a replacement cert from QQI.’ The preventive actions submitted following this inspection has not prevented the non-compliance from recurring
Provider's corrective action:
- (b) A new third person has been put in charge and the registered provider has updated the roles and responsibilities and all staff members have been notified. Additionally, a copy of the roles and responsibilities have been placed in each room. (3) References for this staff member were validated on the day of inspection
- (1) The registered provider has obtained proof of qualification for this staff member. (2) . The individual is covering staff and is no longer working in the service as she is going back to college, by the time she returns she will have her full Level 8 qualification and corresponding certificate. The second staff member identified with no evidence of achievement of a full award has left the service. The registered provider stated that the service will ensure that evidence of full awards for all staff members will be available for review going forward
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. A container containing water and a sterilising agent used for sterilising mouthing toys was stored at the back of a low-level shelf accessible to children in the Playschool room posing a risk to the health and safety of the children. 2. A piece of plastic had broken off the bench in the Junior and Senior Montessori Garden creating a sharp edge posing a potential risk of injury to children. 3. The heads of two screws were protruding from the mud kitchen in the Junior and Senior Montessori garden posing a potential risk of injury to children. Ineffective maintenance of equipment and unsuitable storage of cleaning solutions creates hazards and can compromise the safety and wellbeing of children. Infection Control: 4. One of the children in the Senior Montessori room was observed filling their water bottle from the sink in the sanitary room. Staff and the registered provider advised the inspector that this was common practice for children and that the water was drinking water. This practice poses an infection control risk to children as it is a sanitary area and is not appropriate for the provision of drinking water. After the concern was highlighted to the registered provider the inspector was advised that drinking water would now be retrieved from the main kitchen. 5. Staff members in the Toddler room and the Playschool room were observed to carry out consecutive nappy changes without changing their apron between each change. This practice poses a risk of cross contamination and is a variance with the services nappy changing policy. 6. Blankets used for children at sleep time were not stored individually. Staff in the Playschool room were observed storing the children’s blankets together following sleep time. Administration of Medication: 7. A sample of ten administration of medication records were reviewed and six were found to be incomplete and did not contain the required details to ensure safe administration to a child as follows. • Two medication forms were missing the parents consent signature on the upper part of the form. • Two records did not have a witness signature. • One record did not have the name of the antibiotic recorded. • The child’s name was not recorded on one record and another record did not have the child or the staff members surnames recorded. • Two records did not contain an expiry date. • During discussions with staff the inspector was informed that staff complete the parents section of the medication consent form on behalf of the parent and the parent signs it later that day. This is at variance with the medication administration policy in place in the service. Incomplete medication forms and the practice of staff completing the parents section of the medication records was identified as non-compliant on the previous inspection on 25 November 2025. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider has not prevented the non-compliance from recurring. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The container containing water and a sterilising agent has been moved to a high shelf. 2. A new bench has been purchased and the old one has been removed. 3. The mud kitchen has been made safe and the screws were removed. Infection Control: 4. A new sink has been installed in the Senior Montessori room for provision of drinking water. 5. The registered provider carried out nappy changing refresher training for all staff. 6. Blankets are now stored in individual bags with each child’s name. Administration of Medication: 7. Refresher training on the process for completion of medication forms has been provided for each staff member and a staff member has been appointed to audit the books every two weeks
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 25.