Inspection of 20 February 2025 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. 1. An immediate action notice under
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (b) The registered provider did not ensure at all times that there was a person in charge or deputy person in charge on the premises at all times. A sample of the roster demonstrated that in the previous four weeks neither the person in charge nor deputy person in charge was always available on the premises each day
- (c) Garda vetting for one adult was not available on the day of inspection. An immediate action notice was issued. It is acknowledged that the Registered Provider gave assurances to make an application, and in the interim the person would not be in direct contact with children
- Evidence of one adult holding a major award at level 5 or above in early childhood care and education on the national qualification framework was not available on the day of inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) (b) The service provider will ensure that a person in charge or deputy person in charge will always be on the premises. This will be achieved by ensuring that the rota always includes the person in charge or the deputy, throughout the day, to ensure the non-compliance does not re-occur. The rota will be organised to reflect the above position, and a photo is attached to demonstrate the corrective action. The rota was implemented immediately to demonstrate that the corrective action is achieved. The person in charge will ensure that either herself or the deputy are on the schedule each day. This corrective action is implemented immediately and demonstrated in the attached photo of the roster. The service recognises the non-compliance and has implemented the corrective action above. To avoid re- occurrence of the above non-compliance the service provider will ensure that herself or the deputy person in charge are always present and the schedule will be compiled with that in mind. (2) (c) The Garda vetting for all staff was applied for on commencement of employment by the service provider, failure to assess or update this resulted in the above non-compliance. I immediately addressed this non-compliance by applying for all staff vetting renewals last month on the same day, not only the one that wasn’t available. I recognise that there was no procedure identified by myself to address compliance until now. The service provider has set a reminder to renew vetting applications in advance of expiry and in accordance with the 3-year rule to achieve a measurable target. This will also be done to ensure any new staff have their vetting renewed after their initial start date. The vetting for all staff currently employed has been renewed and a reminder has now been set in advance of the expiry of the existing vetting to ensure the non-compliance does not re-occur. The goal is to avoid the non-compliance re-occurring, so by setting a reminder for the month prior to expiry the service provider will be reminded to renew the vetting for the staff currently employed. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately, and evidence of the new vetting is attached along with the reminder. The service provider has renewed all vetting for staff currently employed in the service and in addition has set a reminder in advance of the expiry date of the renewed vetting to ensure that the non-compliance does not re-occur. (4) The service provider has an electronic copy of the level 5 qualification for the adult in question but did not have the hardcopy on site. The service provider has attached the qualification for evidence. The service provider has printed the electronic version and added it to the hardcopy file. The qualification is held electronically but will also be added to a hard copy folder in the creche. The goal is to avoid the non- compliance re-occurring, so by having access to the electronic version and the hardcopy the non- compliance should not re-occur. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately, and evidence of the qualification is attached. The service provider will have a hard copy and electronic copy available for inspection
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- (b) On the day of inspection, the privacy and dignity of the child was not always recognised. During nappy changing and toileting times, it was observed that the door to the changing room and the toilet were left open. Children who were present were visible from the entrance area and the corridor
Provider's corrective action:
- (c) The service provider was alerted during the inspection that the changing room door was open during the changing of a child’s nappy. The inspector informed the service provider that this was a breach of the child’s dignity and that it should be addressed. The service provider has directed the staff to ensure the door is closed during changing to ensure the child’s dignity, A sign is erected on the door to remind staff to close the door during changing. The non-compliance is addressed and a sign erected on the door to reinforce the new policy regarding dignity. The goal is to avoid the non-compliance re-occurring, so by having the sign erected on the door it is a visual trigger to staff when changing nappies. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately, and evidence of the new procedure is attached. A sign is erected on the door to trigger staff to close the door when changing. This will be monitored and additional actions in the form of slow closing hinges will be applied if the initial preventative action is not successful
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. Garda vetting was available for six staff members. However, two of these vetting disclosures were not dated within the previous three years in adherence to with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. 2. Cleaning agents were observed to be accessible to children on a low-level shelf. Action was taken by the inspector to remove them from the area and brought to the attention of the adults present on the day. Infection Control: 3. Gloves and aprons were observed not to be removed after disposing of an unclean nappy, and prior to moving onto the next care activity of placing on a clean nappy, followed with redressing the child. This could lead to a risk of cross infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The service provider was informed by the inspector that two of the staff vetting confirmations were out of date. The service provider immediately renewed the vetting and has now renewed the vetting of all current staff. The service provider has set a reminder for the renewal of all staff vetting prior to the expiry date and this should avoid the non-compliance re-occurring. The reminder will trigger the service provider to renew all current vetting including any new staff at the time of renewal. The goal is to avoid the non-compliance re-occurring, so by having a reminder set, the non-compliance should not re-occur. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately, and evidence of the vetting and reminder are attached. The service provider has now set a reminder to renew vetting before the existing vetting expires in three years. 2. The service provider was informed that some cleaning agents could be accessed by children due to the low-level location they were observed during the inspection. The service provider immediately removed any low-level cleaning products to high shelves to prevent the non-compliance reoccurring. The service provider has attached a photo of the cleaning agents on a higher shelf and informed staff not to store those items in the reach of children. The higher shelf storage area should prevent children being able to access the items. The goal is to avoid the non-compliance re-occurring, so by installing the higher shelf and storing the cleaning agents on this shelf the non-compliance should not re-occur. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately, and evidence of the new shelf is attached. A new shelf was fitted at high level to ensure the children cannot reach the cleaning agents. Infection Control: 3. The service provider was informed during the inspection that staff were only wearing one pair of gloves during the nappy changing task. The inspector informed the staff and the service provider that two pairs of gloves should be worn at all times and one pair disposed of after each nappy is changed and a new pair put on to change the next nappy. The service provider and the inspector have informed the staff of the new regulation and immediately implemented the same. The new procedure is achievable and has been adopted immediately. The goal is to avoid the non-compliance re-occurring, so by having the inspector speak to the staff and the service provider ensuring the new procedure is followed the non- compliance should not re-occur. The above corrective actions have been implemented immediately
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 26, 27, 28.