Inspection of 2 September 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- On the day of inspection, the registered provider had not ensured that there was a named person available to deputise. The named deputy person in charge was not present on the day of inspection and there was no evidence to suggest that another person was named to deputise in their absence
Provider's corrective action:
- The service has now appointed a designated person to deputise in the absence of the Deputy Manager. The chain of command has been updated accordingly to reflect this arrangement
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- A sample of ten accident and incident records were reviewed and found to be incomplete as follows: • On five records, the parent’s signatures were not dated • On two records, the staff signature hadn’t been recorded • On one record, there was no parent signature
Provider's corrective action:
- An accident report that was previously noted as missing signature have since been corrected. The Regional Manager provided refresher training to the crèche management team (Manager and Deputy Manager) on the correct procedures for completing accident report forms. To further support compliance, the Regional Manager will conduct monthly checks of the accident report book to ensure all records are completed accurately and in line with regulatory requirements
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- (a) On the day of inspection, it was observed that while some play resources were available in the outdoor area, there was insufficient amounts to extend learning and development for the age range and number of children attending the Starfish room. (b) At 12:20, two children arrived at the service. On arrival, both children were guided to the Dolphin room, where the younger child was offered her dinner. This took place in a dark room with the blinds down as other children were sleeping but this child did not have sufficient light to see the food she was eating. When asked by the inspector if this was the normal routine, the manager requested the educator in the room to open one blind so that the child could see her food. Once this child had settled, the older child was moved to the Seahorse room for dinner at 12:30. These transitions do not support the social and basic needs of the children and were not effectively managed on the day of inspection
Provider's corrective action:
- The creche has recently received additional play resources intended for the garden area. At the time of inspection, these items were stored in the storeroom as the management team was awaiting the delivery of a suitable outdoor storage box. This storage solution has since been received, and the resources have now been made available in the garden area for children’s use. In addition, staff have been encouraged to extend the indoor curriculum to the outdoor environment by incorporating toys and equipment into outdoor play, thereby promoting greater use of the garden space and supporting holistic learning through outdoor experiences
- If a child arrives late to the Dolphin Room after dinner time and when other children are sleeping, they will be provided their dinner in either the Seahorse Room or the Starfish Room. The management team has discussed the routine for children arriving late with all staff in the Dolphin Room
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. On the day of inspection, children from the Starfish room were playing in the garden. When it was time to return inside at 11:58am, the adult had to leave the children unsupervised to return in through the Seahorse room to access the main hall to open the fire door for the children to return in from the garden to access their care room. The route and procedure are unsatisfactory as this practice poses a risk to the safety of the adults and children in the service. Infection Control: 2. The following practices were observed by the inspectors on the day of inspection which pose a risk of cross contamination and cross infection for the staff and children: • The pedal on the foot pedal bins were not working in the Starfish and Seahorse rooms. Staff and children in the Starfish room were observed to lift the lid of the bin to dispose of used hand towels and other waste products. • Tables were not cleaned before and after snack time in the Starfish and Seahorse rooms. • Following supervised toileting and handwashing for three children from the Starfish room, instead of being supervised to return to the room individually, the remaining children were observed to sit and crawl on the floor, negating handwashing that had just been observed. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: The typical exit route from the side garden is through the adjoining classroom. On the day of the inspection, a newly employed staff member, on her second day of employment, mistakenly believed that the corridor door was the appropriate exit. While the children remained in her line of sight during this time, this was not the correct procedure, and she should not have exited the area. Following the incident, the staff member received clear guidance and training on the correct exit routes and supervision protocols. She has been instructed to seek immediate support from another staff member, or a member of management should she require assistance in the future. Clear signage has been displayed on the doors. Infection Control: Bins have been ordered and will be checked regularly by the regional manager and creche manager to ensure they are in good working order. Staff have been reminded to clean the tables before and after snack time as this is normal practice. The manager will monitor staff to ensure adequate cleaning of tables before/after meal times. Staff have been reminded to provide adequate supervision of children when they finish toileting. This has been included as a training point in the next staff meeting Ongoing monitoring by creche management – management will conduct spot checks and informal observations to ensure compliance with supervision procedures
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (c) On the day of inspection at 12:10 there was a malodour in two units of the sanitary accommodation in the main hallway and in the nappy changing room closest to the staff room. While these toilets appeared clean in appearance there was no visible sound from the mechanical ventilation servicing them. This was brought to the attention of one of the managers who agreed to check this out. At 12:45 she advised that a maintenance engineer was due to arrive shortly to assess same. While it is acknowledged that the maintenance engineer arrived onsite promptly and increased the ventilation setting, the malodour remained. At 14:15 and 15:50 the malodour was still present. This malodour was also noted on the previous inspection on 2nd October 2023 and the corrective action submitted by the registered provider failed to address this non-compliance
Provider's corrective action:
- A full investigation was carried out to identify the source of the malodour in the two affected sanitary units in the main hall. The sewerage and drainage systems were inspected and confirmed to be clear and fully operational. The toilet areas underwent a deep clean by the cleaning team, including steam cleaning of all tiled surfaces to remove any lingering odours. Air fresheners have been installed in the affected toilet units to help maintain a pleasant environment. Weekly checks of the toilet areas are now conducted by the manager/deputy manager, and any issues are reported immediately to the regional manager
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 15, 24, 25, 26, 28.