Non-prescribed medication or treatment –

information for parents

Dear parents,

Tur statutory framework, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), states that you must give us written
permission, in advance, for every medication administered to your child – this includes non-prescribed
medication or treatment. The EYFS recognises that some medications are not prescribed by the doctor,
dentist or nurse – they might, for example, be advised by the pharmacist or provided by other practitioners
such as homeopaths.

In such instances, you need to give us ongoing permission to administer the medication when it is needed
by your child. You also need to give us clear instructions about dosage, time of administration and any
contra indications of the medication.

Non-prescribed medication to alleviate a child’s ongoing medical condition which is not excludable such as
eczema, asthma, teething conditions, nappy rashes, hay fever etc might include for example:

 Infant paracetamol or Nurofen. Note: we cannot give aspirin unless it has been prescribed by a doctor.

 Teething gel; eye drops; hay fever treatment; nappy rash cream.

 Emollient cream for eczema and dermatitis – note that we cannot administer medication or treatments
without them being prescribed by a doctor.

 Homeopathic or natural remedies.

This list is not exhaustive.

In an emergency: we might be advised to give your child non-prescribed medication after consultation with
a medical practitioner such as NHS Direct or a doctor. For example, if your child’s temperature is rapidly
rising and s/he needs urgent infant paracetamol to prevent a febrile convulsion. We will follow medical
advice and make every attempt to contact you as quickly as possible.

Record keeping: if non-prescribed medication is administered, we will write it down for parents to sign to
confirm you are aware it has been given at collection time - it is a requirement of the EYFS that parents are
informed on the same day about any medication given to their child. We will retain records for ‘a reasonable
period of time’ as required by the EYFS.

If you have any questions about non-prescribed medication, please ask. Thank you.

© Childcare.co.uk, 2021