chez29 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I was just wondering what everyone's policy was on calpol especially when a parent comes in and says they have give it at home. Would you record this down and if a child then needed it later in the day at nursery would you give it. Our current policy is not to give it if a parent has given in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Unless it is for a long term illness/broken bone etc then we do not give calpol - it says in our policy that if a child needs to be given calpol at pre-school then they need to be at home - although in my opinion if they need to have calpol to be able to come to pre-school in the first place then they should be at home anyway....... We record all prior medications anyway - although lately parents aren't bothering to tell us they have give calpol before coming, we just know when it comes to about 11am and the child starts flagging and feeling unwell ggggrrrrr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larnielass Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Same here. We also remind parents that sometimes the best medicine is cuddling up on the sofa with Mum. We also have parents coming in waving Calpol bottles, or worse, putting them in the child's bag and not telling us. (Along with lighters, sweets ,drinks !!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel10 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I thought you should only give prescribed medicines??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I thought you should only give prescribed medicines??? That's what we do If paracetamol is needed long term etc then we ask parents to go and get a bottle prescribed from the dr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chez29 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 There are so many different practice examples out there when I google medicine policies.. I always thought it was prescribed only, but the policy at my current setting is that it is given in an emergency but not to be given if a parent had already that morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 There are so many different practice examples out there when I google medicine policies.. I always thought it was prescribed only, but the policy at my current setting is that it is given in an emergency but not to be given if a parent had already that morning. Would you have a bottle of it to keep at the setting for an emergency do you mean? The only time we have held calpol at the setting is when we had twins who suffered from fits if their temperature got high so they needed it administered as soon as a high temp was noticed (luckily we never had to use it though) Apart from that or something similar I wouldn't entertain having a 'stock' of calpol I don't think..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chez29 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Yes there is one bottle on site but I try to avoid using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel10 Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 just read this again. I would be asking why they had given calpol. If the child had a temperature, I wouldn't let them in. We have a 24 hour policy which I introduced when bird flu was about and have never changed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Yes there is one bottle on site but I try to avoid using it. So do you get all parents to sign something giving permission for their child to have it in an emergency? and just out of interest how do you get round it not being prescribed to the children individually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chez29 Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 yes it's on the registration form as permission to be given in emergency however I'm going to remove this section. I'm new to setting and there are so many paperwork changes needed it going to take me ages to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbat Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 yes it's on the registration form as permission to be given in emergency however I'm going to remove this section. I'm new to setting and there are so many paperwork changes needed it going to take me ages to do. ah bless you - I feel your pain! I had to overhaul every single bit of paperwork at my setting when I took over - good luck! Please don't remove it because of what I have said though - it may be a common thing to do - I just wouldn't personally do it at my setting unless prescribed for an individual child because it just seems very open to mishaps etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I'm with you, Mrsbat. If a child was poorly enough to need carpool, then they were not well enough to be in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDragon Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 we only give prescribed and tell parents if they need calpol they should not be in pre-school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poohshouse Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 We do have a stock of calpol - but as full day care (with most of our parents working in the city (about 1.5hrs journey) it is there to make a child comfortable until a parent collects. We always ring first, and do not give unless child has been in for 4 hours unless we have spoken to a parent. Our consent form states that parents give permission for us to give it if we are unable to contact them. If they arrive having had calpol we make it clear should they need a second dose they will need to go home, unless it is for pain (rather than illness) only and is prescribed by a doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oopsydoopsy Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Same as us Poohshouse. We will only give minimum dose and only if a child has been in for longer than 4 hours ( unless there is a recognised risk of febrile convulsion or if the temp is concerningly elevated). Two people need to listen to parents consent on 'phone ( avoid a 'my word against yours' ) Its a difficult one - many working parents here too, who often are punished (made to use annual leave etc) if their child is ill. If it is not a potential life threatening condition then where do you draw the line if it as result of say, teething etc. I agree, home is the best place for a poorly child but sadly, working parents don't always see it as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 . If it is not a potential life threatening condition then where do you draw the line if it as result of say, teething etc. But how do you know? have you taken their temperature and do you have access to medical advice? Paracetamol is one of the most dangerous medicine a child can take (not in the amount of suspension we give them but in an overdose situation) . Meningitis is still a real risk and a high temperature can be a good indication that things are going wrong with a child. Infections are normally the cause of a high temperature. Teething can be dealt with in other ways ,,,,but i dont have babies in my setting so for me this is not a problem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddlermaddness Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 jumping in a bit late, in our policy from PSLA it states Non-prescription medication, such as pain or fever relief (e.g. Calpol) and teething gel, may be administered, but only with prior written consent of the parent and only when there is a health reason to do so, such as a high temperature. Children under the age of 16 years are never given medicines containing aspirin unless prescribed specifically for that child by a doctor. The administering of un-prescribed medication is recorded in the same way as any other medication But our supervisor is looking for it be removed as she doesn't want to administer Calpol to any child as it could mask underlying problems. but my concern is having children with us from 9am to 330, if a parent gets delayed and the child's temperature is rising higher and higher, surely is would be better to administer Calpol rather than letting them get hotter and hotter? any thoughts or advice what you have in your policy would be great :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Has your supervisor explored other successful ways to bring down a temperature? I think you could store Calpol on the premises in case of emergency - with parental permission to give under those circumstances you mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadOaks Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Sorry to jump in even later but i don't normally enter this topic zone and suddenly noticed a Calpol thread and i was intrigued to see what other settings are doing. At the end of the day unfortunately we are not (usually) qualified to diagnose any child in our care and to give a child any medication, and then the worst case scenario occurs, it is then you who are to blame! Yes the health of any child is priority but in giving a child Calpol there is a chance it could have a negative effect as well as the usual positive. So even gaining prior consent from parents via a form to administer Calpol in my opinion would not cover you in the unfortunate event of worst case scenario. You are simply not qualified to make that medical decision and administer medicine in a case by case scenario. Best course of action would be to cool the child down in natural ways then phone the parents and ask for their advice, and explain the phone call is recorded or that they are on loud speaker so another person is in hearing distance and that you need them to make a decision on the administration of Calpol once you have explained to them the situation and the steps you have taken. The "Claim for Blame" culture is possibly putting children's health at risk although there is always an element of risk with any medication! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 No calpol at our setting and if a parent comes in waving a bottle they are quickly told to take it and possibly the child home again!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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