Criterion HS122
Medicine (prescription and non-prescription) is not given to a child unless it is given:
by a doctor or ambulance personnel in an emergency or
by the parent of the child or
with the written authority (appropriate to the category of medicine) of a parent.
Before an adult at the service administers medication, the person must check the medication, dosage and time reflects the parent’s authorisation.
Medicines are stored safety and appropriately, and are disposed of, or sent home with a parent (if supplied in relation to a specific child) after the specified time.
Documentation required (written or digital)
A record of authorisation from parents for the administration of medicine, and acknowledgement medication has been administered based on the category of medication outlined in Schedule 2.
A record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to the children attending the service. Records include:
child’s full name
name and amount of medicine given and
date and time medicine was administered and by whom.
Guidance
How to show you are complying
You must only administer medicine if you have a parent’s written permission to do so.
There are 2 exceptions:
when a parent administers the medicine themselves
when ambulance personnel or a doctor administers the medicine in an emergency.
Administering medicine
If an adult providing education and care administers medicine, they must follow specific steps.
Before an adult administers medicine, they must check:
they are using the correct dose (use a standard measuring syringe or spoon)
the correct medicine is given to the right child (double-check the details on the label each time)
they are administering it at the right time
they are administering it in line with the parent’s written authorisation
the medicine is still able to be used – it has not past its use by date (either the timeframes it is authorised for or the expiry date).
Services cannot hold on-site and administer paracetamol, ibuprofen or ingestible analgesics that have not been provided by a parent. When these medicines are provided by a parent, they should only be ones that are prescribed for the use by their child.
You should dispose of medicine safely and appropriately after the use by date. If parents provided the medicine, you may choose to send it home instead.
Medicine must be accessible to adults, but out of reach to children
All children’s medicine should be readily accessible in case there is an emergency, but they cannot be accessible to children. If medicine needs to be stored in the fridge, make sure children cannot access it.
Make sure you check expiry dates and never give out medicine that’s expired. Any expired medications must be disposed of safely and appropriately.
You must keep a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending
Each record must include:
the child’s full name
the name and amount of the medicine to be administered
the date and time it is administered
the name of the person who administered the medication, and
evidence of parental acknowledgement.
Parents must acknowledge that Category (i) and (ii) medicines have been administered
Parents must acknowledge that Category (i) medicines have been administered on the same day they have been administered.
Parents must acknowledge their child received Category (ii) medicines, but the frequency can be agreed between the service and the parents.
You can record parents’ written authority and acknowledgement in writing or in digital form. Digitally, this could be done through email, or an electronic platform. The key point is that you need to be able to provide evidence that parents have authorised the medicine and acknowledged its use afterwards.
You must also keep a record showing that parents have been informed when medicine is given to their child, how often parents are informed the medication has been given can be agreed between the service and the parent.
For Category (i) type medicines, keep the written permission for as long as the child is receiving the medicine, and renew it if the treatment continues or circumstances change. Each day you administer the medication, you need the child’s parent to acknowledge the medication has been given.
When assessing whether you comply with HS122
Questions we are likely to ask
How do you record medication that has been given to children?
How do you make sure medication is administered correctly?
Where do you store medication?
How do you keep track of each medicine’s expiry dates?
How do you dispose of expired medications?
We are likely to look at, measure or count
Where you store medication.
Check your medication records.
We are likely to request
Sample of records of the written authority from parents for category (i) and (ii).
Sample of records of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service.
The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.
Disease prevention for early learning services – Health New Zealand
For types of medicines, evidence of parental acknowledgment and authorisation, refer to Schedule 2.
By following good medicine administration processes services are well placed to support children’s health and wellbeing. The documentation requirements also help give parents assurance that the service is doing everything it can to help their children.
It is a useful record for both parents and medics in the event of a child experiencing an adverse reaction or sudden-onset illness.
Doing more than the minimum can shape better outcomes for children. Here are some ideas or examples you might like to consider.
Before administering medicine, you should follow the instructions on the prescription label. The one exception is if parents have issued different instructions because the instructions on the label are incorrect. If you are administering non-prescription medicine, you should follow instructions on the packaging.
Records provide a clear trail of who administered what and when, it is a good idea to keep records of medication administered during the current and previous year.
As a precaution, you may also want to have two adults verify the dosage of oral medicine administered.
Naming medication
When Category (i) or (ii) medication is bought into the service by parents the packaging/container, and all parts of the medication are to be named to ensure they are used for the correct child. For instance, in the case of inhalers, the inhaler, box and spacer and mask (if supplied).
When over the counter medication is supplied by parents both packaging and container should be named. This is to prevent the medication being administered to the wrong child.
Medication that is prescribed to a child’s sibling (or any other child) should not be administered to the child. This is to ensure that the medication amount to body weight, or suspension of the medication is correct for the child who requires it.
Sunscreen
The Education Review Office does not consider sunscreen a medicine and have supplied guidance for services about how to communicate to parents the use of sunscreen.
Sun protection in early learning
Nappy rash barrier preparations
The Education Review Office does not consider nappy rash barrier preparations as medicines and have supplied guidance for services about how to communicate to parents the use of nappy rash preparations.