Infection Control Policy

At Pitter Patter Play Ltd we promote the good health and wellbeing of all children and staff attending by maintaining high hygiene standards and reducing the chances of infection being spread. We follow the Infection Prevention and Control for Childcare Settings (0-5 years) Nurseries Child Minders and Playgroups guidance.

Viruses and infections can be easily passed from person to person by breathing in air containing the virus, which is produced when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread through hand/face contact after touching a person or surface contaminated with viruses.

We follow the guidance below to prevent a virus or infection from moving around the nursery. Our staff:

• We regularly require children to wash hands as part of the daily routine of the nursery
• Encourage all children to use tissues when coughing and sneezing to catch germs
• Ensure all tissues are disposed of in a hygienic way and all children and staff wash their hands once the tissue is disposed of
• Develop children’s understanding of the above and the need for good hygiene procedures in helping them to stay healthy
• Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when changing nappies, toileting children and dealing with any other bodily fluids. Staff are requested to dispose of these in the appropriate manner and wash hands immediately.
• Clean and sterilise all potties and changing mats before and after each use
• Clean toilets at least daily and check them throughout the day plus employ a daily cleaner that will use cleaning fluids inline with our H&S and COSH guidance outside of our opening hours to children
• Build routines where children wash their hands before eating, after visiting the toilet, playing outside or being in contact with any animal and explain the reasons for this in an age-appropriate way
• Clean all toys, equipment, and resources on a regular basis by following a comprehensive cleaning rota and using antibacterial cleanser, fogging machine or through washing in the washing machine and maintain records of this
• Use fogging machine at regular intervals to clean all outdoor play equipment and maintain records of this
• Wash or clean all equipment when needed including when the children have placed it in their mouth
• Store dummies in individual hygienic dummy boxes labelled with the child’s name to prevent cross-contamination with other children
• Store toothbrushes (in line with our Designed to Smile commitment) hygienically to prevent cross-contamination
• Immediately clean and sterilise (where necessary) any dummy or bottle that falls on the floor or is picked up by another child
• All parents are asked to provide a water bottle for their child that has the child name on and is available throughout the day. Children are encouraged to identify their own bottle and not to share these.
• The sleep area is regularly cleaned with antibacterial wipes/spray and each child that requires a nap has either a blanket from home (labelled) or a fresh blanket that is supplied by the nursery.
• We follow a strict sickness and illness policy when children are ill to prevent the spread of any infection in the nursery. Staff are also requested to stay at home if they are contagious in line with Public Health Wales guidelines and any further guidance from CIW during outbreaks of illnesses e.g. Scarlet Fever.

In addition:

• The nursery manager retains the right of refusal of all children, parents, staff and visitors who are deemed contagious and may impact on the welfare of the rest of the nursery
• Where there are raised incidences of illness and whether required to by PHW or not, we reserve the right to take children’s temperatures where there are raised incidences or outbreaks of illness through use of a infrared contactless forehead thermometer
• Parents will be made aware of the need for these procedures in order for them to follow these guidelines whilst in the nursery
• Periodically each room in the nursery will be deep cleaned including carpets and soft furnishings to ensure the spread of infection is limited. This will be implemented earlier if the need arises.
• The nursery will ensure stocks of tissues, paper hand towels, hand washing equipment, cleaning materials and sterilising fluid are maintained at all times and increased during the winter months or when flu and cold germs are circulating.
• In the event of an infection outbreak the nursery may, where appropriate, undertake a deep clean to ensure the spread of infection is contained
• We will follow any the Government health guidance, as well as legal advice and our information from our insurers on any national outbreak of a virus/ pandemic and keep parents informed of any course of action

Each specific circumstances will differ and to ensure we take the most appropriate action we will treat each case on an individual basis

Laundry

• A stock of clean blankets are kept in the cupboard in the hygiene room.
• Each used blanket is put to the wash each day
• Blankets supplied from home are labelled, kept with the child’s belongings and returned home for washing
• All blankets supplied by the nursery can be washed at 90 degrees and will be dried as appropriate
• Once the washing and drying is complete, the blanket is returned to the allocated child personal basket.
• Staff should wash their clothing separately and at home and should not use the nursery facilities for this purpose
• Staff should store a spare set of clothes in the staff area so that they are able to change into uniform should the situation necessitate. PPE should be worn during all hygiene and food preparation activities.

This Policy was adopted on	Signed on Behalf of Pitter Patter Play Ltd	Date for review
20/05/2024		May 2025