Inspection of 23 February 2026 — Inspection Report
Immediate action notice. The service submitted corrective actions and preventative actions on 31 March 2026. These actions did not address the non-compliances identified. A second opportunity was afforded to the service. This was received on 16 April 2026 and the response was found to meet the regulatory requirements.
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
- General Safety: 1. The service did not demonstrate compliance with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice requiring services to renew Garda vetting every three years for six adults employed to work in the service. 2. In the Butterfly room, a trailing flex from a phone which hung from the bookshelf posed a potential safety hazard. Infection Control: The cleanliness and hygiene policy of the service does not give sufficient detail to ensure trained staff are given clear instruction to prevent the spread of infection as outlined below: 3. In the Baby room, the children were all given individual cloths to wash their hands before dinner. These cloths were wet with water but there was no soap to clean their hands. Soap and water are essential for good hand washing to help prevent the spread of the germs. 4. There was no written record of daily cleaning of toys in the Butterfly and Ladybird rooms and the cleanliness and hygiene policy did not specify the frequency of cleaning of these toys. Administration of Medication: The administration of medication policy of the service does not give sufficient detail to ensure trained staff are given clear and safe procedures for handling, storing, and administering both routine and emergency medication. This is outlined as detailed below: 5. One child was prescribed an auto injector medication in the event of a severe allergic reaction. Only one dosage of this medication was available. A second dosage of this medication is required in the event the auto injector malfunctions. This is not documented in the administration of medication policy of the service. 6. The administration of medication policy states children are not allowed to carry their own medication, however emergency medication for three children was stored in their bags. This medication is bought to and from the service on a daily basis. If this medication was forgotten, it poses a significant life- threatening risk to the health of the child. 7. The administration of medication policy states all medication must be clearly labelled and have a copy of the prescription attached to it. However, one child who required specific medication in the event of an emergency, did not have a prescription for this medication, while a second child’s medication was not clearly labelled. 8. The administration of medication policy states children who require emergency medication require a medication care plan but two children who required specific medication in the event of an emergency, did not have an emergency medication care plan. Safe Sleep: 9. One child who was settling to sleep was observed lying down in their bed, drinking a bottle of milk. Children should not lie down while drinking from a bottle as this practice increases the risk of choking. Action submitted by the Registered Provider
Provider's corrective action:
- General Safety: 1. Garda Vetting has been applied for five of the six employees where Garda Vetting had lapsed. The 6th person is still on maternity leave. Garda vetting will be applied for before their return to work. The service had to reapply for two applicants as they did not respond to the application in time. When a staff member starts in the company their Garda Vetting renewal date will be added to calendar with a reminder in place. Current staff have been added to the calendar with reminders in place. 2. The phone flex has been trunked in. Staff were reminded to inform management of potential risks, such as trailing flexes. When work is carried out such as installing new phones, the manager will carry out a risk assessment when the work is complete. Infection Control: 3. A new procedure has been added to the hand-washing policy and a notice is on display in the Baby room outlining the new procedure. The new hand-washing procedure will be reviewed to determine its efficacy. 4. The cleanliness and hygiene policy has been updated. A weekly cleaning schedule has been put in the Butterfly and Toddler rooms as well as a notice informing staff they must sign and date the cleaning schedule. This practice will be reviewed to determine its effectiveness. Administration of Medication: 5. The medication policy has been updated to include information about the importance of having two auto injectors available at all times. The changes to the policy have been highlighted. The medication policy will be reviewed annually to ensure best practice is being followed or updated when new information comes to light. 6. The medication policy has been updated to reflect best practice. The policy now states that regular and emergency medication must remain on the premises at all times and it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure they have a second set of emergency medication that can remain at Treasure Tots Nursery. When a child is prescribed emergency medication, the parent will be given a paper copy of the medication policy with an emergency management plan, that they are required to complete. Parents are emailed a copy of the policies and procedures at induction; this additional copy is a reminder of their responsibilities and the policy of the service in relation to emergency management. Parents can use this policy, if necessary, when attending the GP requesting additional prescriptions. 7. The policy has been updated to reflect current practice, which is that a copy of the prescription will remain on the child’s file. All medication will be clearly labelled. When a child is prescribed a new long- term medication, the parent will be given a paper copy of the medication policy with any other relevant documentation. They will have previously received the full policies and procedures of the service, this will just be a refresher on the information relevant to the newly prescribed medication. 8. Care plans were completed for children who did not have them in relation to their specific needs. These are now on display. The policy on medications will be reviewed by all staff to ensure they understand it and to determine its effectiveness. This is to ensure that all staff are aware of any medications that a child needs and the steps to follow specific to that child. Safe Sleep: 9. Notices were put on display on the doors of both sleep rooms reminding staff of safe sleep practices, highlighting that bottles are not to be propped. The sleep policy will be reviewed by all staff to ensure best practice guidelines continue to be followed by all staff
Regulation 29 — Premises
- (d) Throughout the premises, areas of the building were found not to be cleaned, maintained and repaired as required as detailed below: 1. In the Toddler room, some of the walls were chipped and in need of repair and painting. 2. In the Toddler room, seventeen ceiling tiles were stained and soiled and needed replacing while three ceiling tiles needed replacing in the Baby room. 3. The toilet seat was missing from one of the toilets in the Butterfly sanitary area. 4. Three sinks were blocked. These included an adult sink and a child sink in the Toddler room and another adult sink in the Butterfly room
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. The painter has been booked to paint the Toddler room on April 25th 2026. The painter has verbally confirmed. The painter is going to use a different paint that will reduce the possibility of paint chipping. They are also going to create a blackboard section so children can do mark making on this section of the wall. 2. The landlord has made arrangements for the ceiling tiles to be replaced in the Baby and Toddler rooms. Management will have to find suitable maintenance repair personal moving forward, who can be contactable on a regular basis. 3. The manager bought and replaced the toilet seat. 4. A company carried out an initial inspection and maintenance of the pump below the Toddler room sink, which connected to the two other sinks on the 24th of February. They determined the pump was broken and need to be replaced. The pump was order immediately and the work was completed on March 6th. Regular maintenance of the pump below the toddler room sink will be conducted when the grease traps are being maintained
Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 19, 25, 26.