Inspection of 17 February 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 15 — Record of pre-school child
- (b) Four of the records reviewed did not contain details of the date on which the child first attended the service. (g) Three of the records did not detail the name and telephone number of the child’s medical practitioner
Provider's corrective action:
- Records were checked to find the start date of each child and all registration forms have been updated fully. Many of the registration forms are filled out before the children are born and the parents may not always have all of the information. Management will ensure that registration forms are fully filled out before new children start
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. A metal nail was protruding from a plastic door/finger protector in the Preschool 1 room posing a risk of injury to a child. 2. Three plastic baskets in use for toy storage in the Toddler room were broken in parts creating a potential pinch hazard to a child. Play equipment available to the children in the toddler room was observed to be broken in parts, sharp edges were exposed as result of this posing a risk of injury to the child. 3. A metal grate which was secured to a drain on the surface of the outdoor play area was lifting at the edges posing a trip hazard. 4. A door leading to a storage room in the hallway of the Toddler bathroom was unlocked and accessible to the children during the inspection, posing a risk of the child accessing the area unsupervised. Children were observed in this hallway alone at times after toileting/nappy changes whilst waiting to return to their care room. 5. The fridge and press under the sink in baby room were unlocked during the inspection. Antifebrile medication was stored in fridge and a cleaning agent in the press. It is acknowledged that the press could not be accessed by the children in attendance on the day of inspection but could be if an older children were present in the room posing a risk of harm. Infection Control: 6. Toilet rolls were not appropriately stored in a dispenser in the Toddler and Preschool 1 bathrooms posing a potential risk of cross contamination. 7. A waterproof/wipeable cover was not available to allow for effective disinfecting of the surface for one of the mattress in the sleep room. This poses a risk of infection to the child. Outings: 8. Staff confirmed during discussions with the inspectors that outings are regularly completed with the children to an allotment area on the grounds of Pearse College. A completed risk assessment, permission from parents, or an outings checklist was not available for any outing undertaken in the service to ensure the safe conduct of outings with the children. This was at variance with the outings policy and procedure in place in the service which outlined the requirement for pre-consent, a risk assessment, and an outings checklist to be completed prior to the outing commencing and retained on file for inspection. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. The nails on the door protector have been replaced with screws. These will be checked and tightened as necessary as part of a risk assessment. 2. Plastic boxes were discarded. All broken toys were also discarded. The shelving units are now left open plan. Any toys that are spotted to be broken and cannot be fixed will also be scrapped. 3. The metal grate has been secured with heavy duty cable ties. Staff will check the metal grate as part of their outdoor risk assessment. 4. A sliding lock has been put on this door. Following a meeting with staff, this door is to be locked at all times with the lock and key. 5. The fridge and press were locked. Following a conversation with the staff member in the room, she is now extra vigilant regarding the locking of the fridge and press. It should be noted that this is a designated baby room and older children are never in this room so would never be able to access the fridge or press. Infection Control: 6. The toilet rolls were restocked on the day of inspection. The toilet tissue dispensers will be monitored by staff and re-stocked as necessary. 7. A new waterproof mattress protector was purchased. All mattresses will be checked each time the sheets are changed. Outings: 8. All pre-school parents were asked to sign a permission slip to allow their child to attend trips to the allotments. These permission slips will be added to the welcome pack of permissions for parents to sign when their child starts nursery
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (d) 1. The laminated surfacing on some shelving units and children’s tables in the Toddler and Preschool 1 rooms were heavily worn and coming away in parts, exposing an unfinished wooden surface which could not be effectively cleaned. 2. The children’s coat hook in the hallway of the Toddler bathroom was coming off the wall. 3. The door of a press under the sink in the Toddler room and a storage press in the Preschool 1 room where broken and coming away from the hinges. 4. One of the radiators in the Preschool 1 room was coming off the wall and needed to be secured. 5. The linoleum flooring was coming away from the wall in the hallway of the Preschool 1 bathroom. 6. There was a sticky residue on the surface of some shelves, radiators, and presses in the Toddler and Preschool 1 rooms which was accumulating dirt and debris. 7. Two rugs in the Toddler and Preschool 1 room were lifting and unravelling in parts and needed to be replaced. 8. Large areas of paint on the walls in the Toddler and Preschool 1 rooms were heavily chipped in parts exposing the plastered wall beneath. 9. Three wooden structures in the outdoor play area with fabric cushioned tops were heavily stained and soiled. The fabric coverings were worn and frayed and there was evidence of damp and mildew on the cushioned surface. 10. Although cleaning schedules were documented as being completed in the service, some of the care rooms, children’s bathrooms, and nappy changing areas were observed to be heavily soiled and required a deep clean as follows; - Areas of the flooring, skirting boards, nappy units, ledges, and shelving had heavy accumulations of dust, dirt, and debris in crevices and on surfaces. - There were heavy accumulations of cobwebs in areas of some ceilings and corners of the care rooms. - Two fabric cushions on the couch in the Toddler room were stained and required cleaning. - Fabric baskets used to store toys in the Toddler room were heavily stained and soiled
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. Two new shelving units have been purchased and the worn ones replaced. These will be added to the weekly risk assessments in the rooms. 2. This coat hook was tightened. These will be added to the weekly risk assessments in the rooms. 3. The hinges on the press were tightened. The hinges on all of the presses in the building were tightened. 4. The radiator cover was tightly secured to the wall. The radiator covers will be checked as part of the weekly risk assessments. 5. The lino has now been re-secured to the wall. The lino will be checked as part of the weekly risk assessments. 6. The sticky residue from adhesive tape has been thoroughly cleaned. Adhesive tape will no longer be used to stick artwork. 7. The rugs have now been replaced. The rugs will be checked as part of the weekly risk assessments. 8. The walls have now been painted. 9. The wooden structures have been removed from the playground. A pressure washer has been bought to ensure cleanliness in the garden. 10. All rooms have been deep cleaned. Management will ensure that all rooms continue to keep a high standard of cleanliness
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 16, 19, 28.