Inspection of 21 November 2024 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. However, on inspection additional non-compliances which posed a risk were identified under regulation 10 Policies, procedures of pre-school service. regulation 29 Premises These findings are outlined within the relevant regulations within this report.
Regulation 10 — Policies, procedures etc. of pre-school service
- Following a review of the risk assessment policy it was noted that the policy had not been reviewed and updated since the Covid 19 pandemic and was not robust enough to guide staff on the importance of carrying out and recording daily risk assessment practices for inside the playgroup and the outdoor play area
Provider's corrective action:
- The risk assessment policy was reviewed and updated. The service has undertaken a review of all policies and procedures, taking one per month till completed
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- The children attending the service on the day of inspection were not afforded the opportunity to go outdoors to play during their morning
Provider's corrective action:
- The children couldn’t go outside due to the moss on the playground. We have employed a company to power wash the playground, so this doesn’t happen again. The caretaker will carry out inspections of the playground weekly and the staff will inspect it daily. We are purchasing a power washer for use by the caretaker to prevent this in the future
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: There were no daily indoor and outdoor risk assessment records available for the service. Daily recording of Risk assessments is required for the safety of both the adults and the children attending the pre-school service. Infection Control: There were no consistent cleaning schedule records available to review within the service. Daily recording of completed cleaning tasks within a service is essential for infection control purposes
Provider's corrective action:
- Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: Risk assessments have been updated and are now in place. We have also put a checklist in place. The board of management intend to add this to the agenda for staff meetings to ensure they are carried out. Infection Control: Cleaning schedule records are provided. The staff have been reminded of how important it is to clean and record. A member of staff has been asked to take on responsibility for ensuring the correct cleaning and recording is carried out
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (b) On the day of inspection, the inspector and manager both examined the outdoor area, it was noted that the play area was not safe for the children attending the service to use due to the large amount of green moss growing on the soft impact surface area around the fixed play equipment and in other areas around the playground. The moss was extremely slippery and posed a slip or falls risk for both adults and children alike. (d) The outdoor area was not maintained to a standard that the children could have access to it on a daily basis
Provider's corrective action:
- (b)(d) We have employed a company to power wash the playground. Our caretaker will carry out inspections weekly. We are purchasing a power washer for the caretaker to use in the future
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 24, 25, 26.