Inspection of 12 March 2024 — Inspection Report
Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment
- (1) (b) A person in charge or the named deputy person in charge were not named on the roster for the Friday of the week of the inspection, the person in charge and the deputy person in charge were rostered off and a replacement deputy person in charge was not named. Not ensuring that all staff are aware of who is in charge of the service on any day may allow for ineffective management in the event of any issues that arise in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) (b) The roster has been updated to include the person in charge for the day in question and the registered provider has committed to ensuring the person in charge will be named on the roster and this will be checked daily
Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child
- (1) Of the 20 records reviewed and an attempt to review a further two records was made, however the two further enrolment forms were not available for inspection. (f) Of the 20 forms assessed one enrolment form did not contain details of any illness, disability of allergy for the child. (h) Of the 20 records assessed three records did not contain any records of vaccinations received by the children. Not having relevant information available to the staff caring for these children may hinder their appropriate care in the event of an accident or incident or in the event of an illness in the service
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) The registered provider stated the records were available in the filing cabinet. (f) The form as per the information provided by the registered provider has been updated by the parents. (h) The vaccination records are on file as per the information provided by the registered provider
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (k) A record was unavailable in relation to an incident which occurred the day prior to the inspection. Reference to the incident was noted on the attendance book and the registered provider subsequently confirmed that a child had sustained a minor injury. However, no corresponding accident and incident form had been completed. Not ensuring appropriate records are maintained and given to parents/guardians may hinder the continuity of care given to a child when they leave the service
Provider's corrective action:
- (1) (k) The accident and incident form in question has been completed. The accident and incident policy has been discussed at a staff meeting and a copy of the accident and incident policy issued to all staff, implementation of this will be monitored by the registered provider. All parents will be requested to sign the completed forms each evening at collection time
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- Basic Needs: 1. When asked whether the children who attended one of the care rooms had any dietary requirements or food allergies, the adult who worked in the care room was unaware that three of the children in her care had specific requirements. This posed a risk that the children who may accidently ingest a food allergen or a food that parents had requested their child not consume. It was also at variance with the service’s Diet and Nutrition policy, which stated: ‘Where necessary, staff will be provided with the information regarding dietary requirements’. Supporting Relationships 2. Communication with the parents/guardians of the younger children was done by the registered provider and no evidence of communication with parents/guardians was evident where the written staff observations for a child would warrant discussion with parents. No parent-teacher meeting was planned for the younger children
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The registered provider has updated all staff on the allergies and dietary requirements for the children in their care. A list has been made available in each care room with the children’s allergies recorded for easy access by staff. The registered provider has committed to updating this as required. 2. The registered provider in consultation with the staff have reviewed how the service and staff communicate with parents and a plan is being implemented to issue an observation sheet to parents/guardians on a regular basis and if/when necessary a meeting will be planned between the parents and management. A communication book has been purchased and the use of this will be monitored by the registered provider
Regulation 20 — Facilities for rest and play
- (b) 1. The rest area in Toddler room 2 was insufficient for the numbers of children attending. There was a cosy area that accommodated three children and when the children were encouraged to sit for story and circle time, they sat on a narrow mat and children were observed to lie on this mat to rest. The narrow mat was insufficient to allow the children to rest in comfort. The rest area in Toddler room 1 was insufficient for the age range of the children being cared for in this care room. There was a mat and 2 cushions available and was insufficient to be comfortable for the five children in attendance. 2. The rest area in Toddler room 2 was not available to the children attending this care room when a child was observed to sleep on a stackable bed located in the rest area. The child as reported by the staff could sleep for up to 1 hour therefore the children could not rest or opt out of activities for up to one hour daily. 3. The staff in Toddler room 1 explained that a child under the age of 2 years was placed to sleep daily on a stackable bed and not in a cot or on a floor bed as per the Tusla Guidance on the provision of sleep for children under 24 months. Not providing suitable facilities for sleep may hinder the child in being able to sleep comfortably or safely
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The rest areas from both Toddler room 1 & 2, have been reviewed by staff and management with the rest areas in both rooms being extended and cushions added. The registered provider has committed to continually reviewing these areas on the number and needs of children. 2. The registered provider has reviewed the rest and sleep area in Toddler room 2 with the staff. For children sleeping on a bed, an area in the room has been identified to locate the stackable beds in order for the rest areas to be available to the remaining children and where the use of the stackable beds will not impact on the use of the room by the remaining children that are awake. 3. The registered provider has reviewed the under 2 sleep provision guidance documents with the staff and a new floor bed with mattress has been purchased. A new sleep record book has been ordered and has been reviewed at the staff meeting. All staff are now up to date with the new guidance on sleep provision and the service has the correct sleep equipment in place. This will be continued to be reviewed and implemented by the registered provider
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. Access to cables was not prevented in the Pre-school room, which posed a risk of injury or strangulation to a child. The CD player cable, which was plugged into a wall socket had not been appropriately tethered. 2. The hot water in the sink adjacent to the nappy changing are of Toddler room 2 was recorded at 45.9°C, water at this temperature may pose a risk of a scald injury to a child. 3. The mat on the floor under the front window in the Toddler 2 room was torn and causing a trip and infection control hazard as it was not easily cleaned. Infection Control: 4. It was observed in the Toddler rooms that a staff member did not change the plastic apron used when changing a child’s nappy before commencing changing a second child’s nappy, this poses a risk of contamination and may lead to cross infection. 5. It was observed on two occasions that two children did not have their hands washed after they had their nappies changed were either put to bed or were returned to the care room, this poses a risk of cross infection in each of the care rooms. 6. The lidded bin at the nappy changing station in Toddler room 2 was not used correctly as a minimal contact bin. The staff were observed to open the lid by hand and then to open the internal lid also by hand when a pedal mechanism was available for the outer lid and a push through mechanism available for the internal lid. These multiple contacts increase the risk of contamination and cross infection within the service. 7. The stick-on covering for the tables in the Toddler 2 room were torn at the corners and on the top, this exposed a fleece type material underneath, this material was not easily cleaned and poses a risk of cross infection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The CD player has been removed and the socket has been covered with a socket cover. Cables and leads have been added to the room risk assessment to ensure they are appropriately tethered. This will be continuously monitored by staff and the registered provider. 2. The thermostat has been turned down to control the temperature of the water and assessment of the hot water temperature will be carried out daily as part of the room risk assessment. The temperatures will be monitored by the registered provider. 3. This mat under the window has been removed and assessment of the mat has been added to the risk assessment. Having the room risk assessment in place will ensure that any mats will be removed once found torn, this will be monitored by staff and the registered provider. Infection Control: 4. The nappy changing policy has issued to all staff and its implementation will be monitored by the registered provider. The nappy changing producers have been discussed at the staff meeting on 29th March. The implementation of the policy will be monitored by the registered provider. 5. The hand washing policy has been issued to all staff. The registered provider has stated in the corrective actions that all staff have been spoken too about the importance of hand washing for the children after nappy changing to prevent cross infection. The implementation of the hand washing policy will be monitored by the registered provider. 6. All staff having been given a demonstration on the use of the nappy bin. The registered provider has committed to monitoring the use of this on an ongoing basis. The registered provider has ensured that all staff are given a demonstration on how to use bins properly to avoid cross infection. This will be monitored by the registered provider. 7. The cover for the table in Toddler room 2 has have been removed and replaced with new covering. Implementation of the room risk assessment, once torn or evidence of wear the covering will be replaced. This will be monitored by the registered provider
Regulation 27 — Supervision
- 1. Appropriate supervision of children by sight or sound, was not ensured for a period of time in the Pre-school room. Shortly after two of the children from the Toddler 2 room entered the Pre-school room to use the sanitary facilities, one of these children closed the entrance door to the sanitary facility and both children remained inside, unsupervised for four minutes, until one of the children from the Pre-school room opened the door again. The adult in the Pre-school room was engaged in activities with the other children and did not appear to notice that the door had been closed. Not appropriately supervising children at all times may allow for an accident or incident to occur
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The registered provider has committed to ensuring a staff member will supervise the children going to the bathroom. The practice being implemented is to wait close by to assess if the child needs assistance and the door will not be closed fully. The accident and incident policy has been reviewed by all staff. The registered provider has stated that supervision will be carried out during bathroom time, inclusive of for short intervals by sound once a relevant staff can talk with children who are out of sight while in the bathroom
Found compliant: Regulation 10, 11, 22, 25, 28.