Accident & First Aid Policy

At Pepperberry Day Nurseries the safety of all children is paramount, and we have measures in place to help to protect children. However, sometimes accidents do unavoidably happen. 

We follow this policy to ensure all parties are supported and cared for when accidents or incidents happen and that the circumstances of the accident or incident are reviewed with a view to minimising any future risks. 

Accidents or incidents

When an accident or incident occurs, we ensure: 

• The child is comforted and reassured first
• The extent of the injury is assessed and if necessary, a call is made for medical support or an ambulance
• First aid procedures are carried out where necessary, by a trained paediatric first aider
• The person responsible for reporting accidents, incidents or near misses is the member of staff who saw the incident or was first to find the child where there are no witnesses 
• The accident or incident is recorded on an accident/incident form, and it is reported to the nursery manager. Other staff who have witnessed the accident may also countersign the form and, in more serious cases, provide a statement. This should be done as soon as the accident is dealt with, whilst the details are still clearly remembered 
• Parents are shown the accident/incident form and informed of any first aid treatment given. They are asked to sign it the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable after 
• The nursery manager reviews the accident/incident forms at least monthly for patterns, e.g. one child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in the nursery or a particular time of the day when most accidents happen. Any patterns are investigated by the nursery manager and all necessary steps to reduce risks are put in place
• The nursery manager reports any serious accidents or incidents to the registered person for investigation for further action to be taken (i.e. a full risk assessment or report under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR))
• The accident forms are kept for at least  22 years
• Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the parent(s) as soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately 
• Where medical treatment is required the nursery manager will follow the insurance company procedures, which may involve informing them in writing of the accident
• The nursery manager or registered provider will report any accidents of a serious nature to Ofsted and the local authority children’s social care team (as the local child protection agency), where necessary. Where relevant, such accidents will also be reported to the local authority environmental health department or the Health and Safety Executive and their advice followed

Head injuries

If a child receives a serious head injury while in the setting, then we will follow this procedure: 

• Comfort, calm and reassure the child 
• Assess the child’s condition to ascertain if a hospital or ambulance is required. We will follow our procedures if this is required (see below)
• If the skin is not broken, we will administer a cold compress for short periods of time, repeated until the parent arrives to collect their child 
• If the skin is broken, then we will follow our first aid training and stem the bleeding
• Call the parent and make them aware of the injury and if they need to collect their child
• Complete the accident form
• Keep the child in a calm and quiet area whilst awaiting collection, where applicable 
• We will continue to monitor the child and follow the advice on the NHS website as per all head injuries https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/minor-head-injury/ 
• For major head injuries we will follow our paediatric first aid training. 

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The Nursery Manager or staff member must:

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the injury is severe. We will not attempt to transport the injured child in our own vehicles*
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parents and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child, taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter
• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
• Inform a member of the management team immediately
• Always remain calm. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support following the accident.

*If a child has an accident that may require hospital treatment but not an ambulance and you choose to transport children within staff vehicles Citation advise you to consider the following in your policy:

• Request permission from parents
• Maintain ratio requirements of the setting 
• Consider the age and height of the child, regarding whether they will need a car seat. Further guidance can be found at www.childcarseats.org.uk/types-of-seat/ 
• There are some exceptions for needing a child seat depending on the age of the child. Further guidance can be found at www.childcarseats.org.uk/the-law/cars-taxis-private-hire-vehicles-vans-and-goods-vehicles/#under-three
• When fitting the car seat, check the individual has training in carrying this out
• Check this transport is covered under business insurance, by calling your insurance company, or check if the staff member has business insurance on their vehicle
• Ensure the child is effectively safeguarded, e.g. a designated member of staff appointed to plan and provide oversight of all transporting arrangements and respond to any difficulties that may arise 
• Wherever possible and practicable it is advisable that transport is undertaken other than in private vehicles, with at least one adult additional to the driver acting as an escort. Staff should ensure that their behaviour is safe and that the transport arrangements and the vehicle meet all legal requirements. They should ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and appropriately insured and that the maximum capacity is not exceeded
• Plan emergency procedures, e.g. what will happen if the child’s health begins to deteriorate during the journey.

First aid

The first aid box is in Pepperberry Day Nurseries Reception.

These are always accessible with appropriate content for use with children. 

The appointed person responsible for first aid checks the contents of the boxes regularly Emma Jones (Nursery Manager) and replaces items that have been used or are out of date. 

First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations Act 1981, such as sterile dressings, bandages and eye pads. No other medical items, such as paracetamol should be kept in them. 

‍The appointed person(s) responsible for first aid are Emma Jones, Jack Brady & Ashlee Gill.

Most of the staff are trained in paediatric first aid and this training is updated every three years.

We ensure there is at least one person who always holds a current full (12 hour) paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate on the premises and available when children are present. 

When children are taken on an outing away from our nursery, we will always ensure they are accompanied by at least one member of staff who holds a current full (12 hour) PFA certificate. A first aid box is taken on all outings, along with any medication that needs to be administered in an emergency, including inhalers etc. 

Food safety and play  

Children are supervised during mealtimes and food is adequately cut up to reduce the risk of choking. The use of food as a play material is discouraged. However, as we understand that learning experiences are provided through exploring different malleable materials the following may be used: 

• Playdough
• Cornflour
• Dried pasta, rice and pulses.

These are risk assessed and presented differently to the way it would be presented for eating, e.g. in tuff trays.

Food items may also be incorporated into the role play area to enrich the learning experiences for children, e.g. fruits and vegetables. Children will be fully supervised during these activities.

Food that could cause a choking hazard, including raw jelly, is not used. 

See the Food play policy for further details.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The nursery provides staff with PPE according to the need of the task or activity. Staff must wear PPE to protect themselves and the children during tasks that involve contact with bodily fluids. PPE is also provided for domestic tasks. Staff are consulted when procuring PPE to ensure all allergies and individual needs are supported and this is evaluated on an ongoing basis. 

Dealing with blood

We may not be aware that any child attending the nursery has a condition that may be transmitted via blood. Any staff member dealing with blood must:

• Always take precautions when cleaning wounds as some conditions such as hepatitis or the HIV virus can be transmitted via blood
• Wear disposable gloves and wipe up any blood spillage with disposable cloths, neat sterilising fluid or freshly diluted bleach (one part diluted with 10 parts water). Such solutions must be carefully disposed of immediately after use.

Needle punctures and sharps injury

We recognise that injuries from needles, broken glass and so on may result in blood-borne infections and that staff must take great care in the collection and disposal of this type of material. For the safety and well-being of the employees, any staff member dealing with needles, broken glass etc. must treat them as contaminated waste. 

Parents of children requiring needles as part of managing a medical condition should supply the nursery with an approved sharps box for safe disposal. Full boxes will be returned to the parents.

If a needle is found, e.g. in the nursery grounds, the local authority must be contacted to deal with its disposal. 

We treat our responsibilities and obligations in respect of health and safety as a priority and provide ongoing training to all members of staff which reflects best practice and is in line with current health and safety legislation.

This policy is updated at least annually in consultation with staff and parents and/or after a serious accident or incident.