Inspection of 15 July 2025 — Inspection Report
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- Infection control: 1. In the adjoining, single storey premises, one of the toilets within the sanitary facility was shared between children and adults, which increased the risk of cross infection. During the initial walkthrough of the service, the person in charge confirmed that this toilet cubicle was designated for staff use. However, this was not found in practice, as one of the children was observed to use this toilet later in the day. A staff member also stated that this toilet was shared between staff and children. Safe sleep: 2. Air temperatures within some of the designated sleeping areas were not maintained within the recommended range of 180C to 220C, for safe sleep practice. In the Wobbler 1 sleep room, an air temperature of 240C was recorded, while the room was occupied by a sleeping child, aged over 12 months. It was acknowledged that once alerted to this, staff took steps to reduce the air temperature by switching on the cooling device. However, a subsequent temperature recording of 22.60C remained outside of the recommended range. While in use to facilitate a rest period in the afternoon, the air temperature of Playschool 1 was recorded at 24.20C. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- Infection control: 1. The written reply outlined that the sanitary facility in question is now designated for children's use only, as the adult-size toilet has been redesignated as the fifth children’s toilet. As a preventive measure, staff will no longer use this toilet. A sign has been placed on the door to inform all staff that this toilet is for children’s use only. Staff will use the toilets provided in the adjoining premises, where another toilet has been fitted for staff use. Safe sleep: 2. On the day of the inspection, the air conditioning had been on throughout the morning and was turned off before the child was put to bed, as the room was sufficiently cool. However, the temperature subsequently rose. When the inspector inquired why the air conditioning was turned off, the staff member explained that they believed all fans and air conditioning units needed to be turned off while children were present in the room. The inspector clarified that this was not the case. Going forward, air conditioning units will be left on whilst children are sleeping and all staff have been briefed on this practice
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (e) 1. While it was acknowledged that, on the day of the inspection, a sufficient number of toilets and wash hand basins were available to accommodate the 39 children present in the adjoining premises, this was not consistently ensured. A review of past attendance records demonstrated that: • 49 children attended this building on 11 March 2025. • 46 children were present on the 12 March 2025. • 47 children were in attendance on 13 March 2025. • 45 children attended on 14 March 2025. As 1 toilet and 1 wash hand basin are required for every 11 toilet trained children, the 4 toilets and 4 wash hand basins allocated for the children’s use were therefore insufficient. 2. There was inadequate drainage at the wash hand basin in the staff toilet facility, located in between the Wobbler 1 and Wobbler 2 care rooms. Water was observed to pool in the basin when the tap was turned on. In addition, high water pressure was noted at the wash hand basin in the Playschool 1 care room, when the handle of the mixer tap was turned to allow the flow of warm water. Non-compliance in relation to water pooling and high water pressure at wash hand basins, was also found at the previous inspection on 8 April 2024. The CAPA response at the time outlined that a plumber had attended the service and made the necessary repairs. However, this did not prevent the issues from reoccurring
Provider's corrective action:
- (e) 1. As per the corrective action stated under Regulation 23, in the adjoining premises, there are now five toilets and five wash basins solely allocated for the children’s use, as the adult toilet has been redesignated as the fifth children’s toilet. A new staff toilet facility has been fitted in the adjoining main building, to replace the toilet that is now designated for the children’s use. Going forward, a designated sleep room, which is no longer in use, will be converted to a second staff room/kitchen area. This will allow the service to convert the existing staff room/kitchen in the single storey premises, into additional sanitary facilities. This work is scheduled to take place during the October mid-term break. 2. The stopper has been removed from the wash basin in the staff toilet facility, located between Wobbler 1 and Wobbler 2. It was identified that the stopper was not releasing fully, which was restricting drainage and causing the water to pool. With the stopper now removed, the sink is draining adequately and functioning correctly. The plumber initially attempted to resolve the high pressure issue by reducing the water pressure locally at the affected sink. However, this did not fully resolve the problem. As a result, it was necessary to reduce the water pressure at the main source before the water enters the building. The plumber has advised that this adjustment may negatively impact water pressure in other areas of the building and could potentially lead to further issues. The service will continue to monitor the situation and will address any issues that arise
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 15, 19.