Inspection of 21 October 2024 — Inspection Report
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
- (j) There were no written records available in relation to the daily medication that was administered to one of the children, who attended the service. This was confirmed during conversation with the person in charge. The documenting of this practice is required in order to support the provision of safe and correct procedures when administering medication to a child
Provider's corrective action:
- An administration of medication record has been added to the child’s file and is signed daily by the child’s parent. Going forward, all children who require any form of medicine will have an administration of medication record on file
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The Garda vetting disclosure available for one of the adults was not dated within the previous three years, in adherence to the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice, ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. 2. Safe storage of medication was not ensured, which increased the risk of a child accessing and accidently ingesting this medication. The medication which had been prescribed for one of the children and two tubes of ointment, were stored in the fridge in the main care room, which was unsecured and positioned at child height. This was at variance with the service’s Medication Management policy, which stated that All medication is stored in line with manufacturer’s instructions out of reach of the children. Infection Control: 3. The children’s perishable foods were not all refrigerated prior to snack time, which increased the risk of food spoilage. This was also found at the two previous inspections, on 25 January 2022 and on 14 January 2020. The CAPA response following the last inspection stated that the fridge would be used to store perishable foods. However, this was not found in practice. Administration of Medication: 4. On the day of inspection, medication was unavailable for one of the children, should it be required. The inspector was advised that the service was reliant on the child’s parents to bring the medication each day, as spare medication was not maintained in the care room. This posed a risk that staff may not be able to respond appropriately to the child’s care needs, should the medication be required. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. Garda vetting for the adult has been renewed. As a preventive measure, all staff files have been updated to include the renewal date of Garda vetting, which is noted on the cover page of each adult’s file. This will ensure that Garda vetting for each employee is renewed in advance. 2. The written reply stated that a new safety strap has been purchased and attached to the fridge. Going forward, it will be ensured that the fridge is secured at all times. Infection Control: 3. All children’s lunches are now stored in the fridge. In future, all lunches will be removed from the children’s bags and stored in the fridge, upon arrival. Administration of Medication: 4. This was discussed with the child’s parents and the medication is now on site. It will be ensured that all children who require medication have it available on site at all times
Regulation 25 — First aid
- The first aid box was insufficiently equipped. The available extra-large and medium sterile wound dressings were out of date and there were only five triangular bandages in stock, where six were required
Provider's corrective action:
- The items that were missing or had expired have been replaced. A list of expiry dates for all first aid supplies will be added to the inside of the First Aid box
Regulation not named in the report text
- (1) The registered provider had not notified the Agency in relation to the change in the service’s opening hours. The person in charge advised that the setting was open to accommodate children from 8.30am. This was confirmed through review of the child attendance records. However, the current registered opening hours for the service are from 9.00am to 12.00pm and from 12.30pm to 3.30pm
Provider's corrective action:
- The written reply from the registered provider and service manager outlined that a Change in Circumstance application was since submitted to the Registration Office and has been approved. Going forward, the registered provider will ensure that all information held by the Agency in relation to the service, is accurate each year
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 10, 11, 15, 19, 28.