(9)(2)(d) See Statutory Notice section in relation to Improvement Notice 0146 served
Documentation reviewed evidenced that the procedures specified in paragraph (2)(d) had not been carried out prior to four of the adults commencing work in the service, see statutory notice
Provider's corrective action:
Correct certified translation of the documents were obtained and made available by close of business on the day of inspection. Revised recruitment procedures will be implemented to prevent a discrepancy of this nature from occurring in the future. As outlined in the attached policy, all required recruitment checks and procedures will be completed prior to the appointment of any individual
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
The furniture in use for mealtime in the Tiggy Winks room was not age appropriate. Children were observed to be seated on chairs that were too big for the size and developmental age of the children
Provider's corrective action:
The furniture in Tiggywinkles has been appropriately sized to suit the height and developmental stage of the children, ensuring they are seated comfortably in chairs that support their age and individual needs. These height- appropriate tables and chairs will be available to the children in Tiggywinkles at all times, alongside taller chairs to accommodate any children who may require them
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1. Some of the nappy changing and handwashing procedures observed were at variance with the policy in place in the service and posed a risk of cross contamination as follows; - One staff member was observed to change three children’s nappies with no handwashing in between or afterwards. - One staff member was observed wash their hands and the child whose nappies they changed with just running water after a nappy change. - Children attending the Baby Chick’s room did not have their hands cleaned before eating morning snack. - Some staff members did not wash their hands after cleaning children’s noses. 2. The pedal operated bin in place in the Baby Chicks room was broken meaning the bin lid had to be handled repeatedly to dispose of waste. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
Infection Control: 1. The staff members identified on the day of the inspection have received refresher training in handwashing and nappy changing procedures to ensure these practices are carried out consistently in line with the service's policies and best practice. Management will continue to monitor staff practice through regular spot checks to ensure that the correct procedures are consistently followed by all staff members. 2. The pedal bin has been replaced in the Baby Chicks classroom. Following a successful trial of a more robust type of bin in other classrooms, the same style of bin has now been introduced into the Baby Chicks room to ensure it is durable and suitable for daily use
Immediate action notice. An Immediate Action Notice was issued on 31st July 2025 under
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
One reference obtained in respect of one staff member from a source other than a past employer was not suitable as the source of the reference could not be considered independent or unbiased
Provider's corrective action:
An additional reference has been obtained for this staff member from a reputable source. Our new checklist for staff files state references must be from a previous employer or reputable source
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
1. On the second day of inspection in the Puddleducks room, three children were not offered a drink with their dinner. These children were placed to sleep following their meal with no drink offered. 2. On the first day of inspection, one child in the Baby Chicks room, aged 8 months , was not provided with the opportunity to feed themselves during dinnertime. A staff member held the bowl away from the child and spoon-fed the child. The child was not provided with the opportunity to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills and to promote independence
Provider's corrective action:
1. All staff have been retrained in the importance of children hydrating prior to nap time. Cups of water shall be accessible on the tables throughout all meal times. This will be reiterated in all of our staff training going forward and a member of the management team will be closely monitoring the practice. 2. Children of all ages will be encouraged to self-feed and the bowl will be placed in the middle of the highchair. Our baby room staff have been retrained in this. This will be refreshed with all staff during ongoing training sessions. However, we do have babies enrolling in our service from four months old so we will have to monitor their individual development on when babies can commence self-feeding
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. In the outdoor area, a wooden picnic table was observed to be water damaged with splinters exposed in two areas posing a risk of injury to children. Infection Control: Inspectors observed a number of practices which posed a risk of transmission of infection within the service: 2. The handwashing practices observed were inconsistent and at variance with the policy in place in the service as follows; - On the first day of inspection in the Baby Chicks room, children’s hands were not washed before dinner. This non-compliance was present on the last inspection on 9th July 2024. The corrective actions as stated by the registered providers did not prevent recurrence of this non-compliance. - On the first day of inspection in the Penguin Paradise room, children’s hands were not washed before their afternoon snack. - While it is acknowledged that children’s noses were cleaned promptly in the Baby Chicks room, a staff member was observed to clean a child’s noses and did not wash their hands following this. 3. Some nappy changing practices observed during the inspection were inadequate for infection control purposes and at variance with the service’s nappy changing procedure. Staff did not consistently wash their hands following nappy changes and did not clean the nappy changing mat following nappy changes. 4. In the Puddleducks room, children were observed lifting the lid of the pedal bin to dispose of waste. 5. In the Baby Chicks room, staff were observed lifting the lid of the pedal bin to dispose of waste. 6. Twenty-eight cot mattresses did not have a waterproof mattress cover posing a risk of the spread of infection as they could not be adequately cleaned and disinfected. Administration of Medication: 7. Antihistamine medication for four children with allergies attending the service was not stored in the relevant care rooms. This posed a safety risk of delaying appropriate medical attention if the child became unwell. 8. Medication for one child attending the Busy Bees room was not stored in its original packaging contrary to the service policy. This medication was stored loosely in the first aid box in the care room. Fire Safety: 9. An Immediate Action Notice was issued on 31st July 2025 as there were no up to date maintenance records available for the fire fighting equipment and the smoke alarm system. Maintenance of the fire fighting equipment had last taken place in June 2024. Quarterly maintenance of the smoke alarm system had last taken place in January 2025. The registered providers submitted a response on 31st July 2025 which was deemed to satisfactorily address this non-compliance. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
General Safety: 1. The picnic table in our garden has been replaced with a new one and the old one has been removed. We are developing a digital practice for daily risk assessments of the garden. A designated manager will operate this system to ensure Dimples equipment meets high standards. Infection Control: 2. & 3. After the last 2024 Inspection we hired a professional software developer to deliver an easy to watch and understand video particularly for staff who don’t have English as their first language. We closed the service for an In-House Training Day where we focused on the Importance of Handwashing and Nappy Changes at our Health & Safety Station and staff were split into 4 different groups so it was disappointing to hear the same non-compliance. We have retrained staff in our handwashing policy and the importance of handwashing throughout all daily transitions. Currently we are testing new training methods and have created a new flyer with clear instructions to ensure this non-compliance does not reoccur. Regular monitoring from management on the handwashing and nappy changing will become a daily practice and we have planned for another Training Day in September 2025. 4. & 5. All staff have been retrained on how to use a foot pedal bin, a smaller bin has been purchased for the Puddleducks room and we are continuously reminding the children to use their feet to open the bin and not their hands. Our training programme has been redelivered to staff and we will continue to highlight the importance of using the foot pedal on the bin. 6. Adequate mattress protectors plus spares were purchased for all cots and fitted. Cots will be checked during our weekly inspections by a member of the management team to ensure children have secure, safe and hygienic sleep zones. Administration of Medication: 7. & 8. New antihistamine medication has been purchased for every room that requires this medication plus spare bottles have been purchased and stored in the management office. All staff have been updated on where to locate these medications. We have re-evaulated where the emergency medicine is stored in the classrooms we are in the process of installing shelving. We plan to locate the emergency medicine shelf in the same location, in every classroom to ensure continuity and speed of access for staff members if necessary. Staff have been reinformed when medication is getting low to call the management office to order a new batch. The management team will include this in their weekly checks. Fire Safety: 9. On the 7th of August 2025 we had maintenance carried out on all of our fire fighting equipment and smoke alarm systems. We have employed the services of a new Fire Safety Company and signed a contract with them, and will ensure no more missed inspections. Currently we are in the process of redeveloping a new checklist system for Dimples to include weekly and monthly checks. Going forward we will digitally automate reminders for all the future due dates. Examples: Maintenance/Extinguishers/Fire Folders/Fire Drills to run simultaneously to ensure Dimples operates to the highest safety standards
(d) Police vetting was not available for one adult who had access to pre-school children
Provider's corrective action:
Police vetting has been applied for this adult. The service policy and checklist will be followed before any staff start. This adult commenced working in the service before the policy was implemented
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
Infection Control: 1.The hands of young children attending the Baby Chicks room were not washed after nappy changing or before eating posing a risk of infection. It is acknowledged that the children’s hands were wiped with water wipes, but this is not effective for infection prevention. Administration of Medication: 2. The procedures described by adults when administering medication to children were contrary to the medication policy of the service. Adults reported giving medication to children without prior written consent which is contrary to the policy which states that staff cannot give medicine unless written permission is given. 3. A sample of nineteen administration of medication forms were reviewed and eleven of these forms had not been fully completed. Forms did not always record that a parent had been informed when their child received medication and there was no signature on other forms to indicate that the administration of medication had been witnessed. Failure to obtain written consent, witness medication administration and demonstrate that this information has been communicated to parents is a potential risk to children. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
Infection Control: Staff in the baby room have been retrained in our hand washing policy and this will be monitored closely by the management team. A manager will monitor handwashing after nappy changes and before food is given throughout the service. Administration of Medication: Staff have been retrained in our medication policy and our medication administration forms have been updated. All forms will be signed by the parent for consent in the morning, witnessed and signed by a second staff member and signed again by the parents in the evening