Criterion HS219
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 if 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 safely 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 the authorisation from parents for the administration of medicine, and acknowledgement medication has been administered based on the category of medication outlined in the schedule.
A record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children attending the service.
Records include:child’s full name
name and amount of medicine given,
date and time medicine was administered and by whom.
Guidance
How to show you are complying
Educators can only give medicine to a child if they have written permission from their parent. The only time written permission is not needed is when a parent gives medicine to their own child, or in an emergency, when a doctor or ambulance officer gives the medicine.
Administering medicine
Before administering medicine, educators 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 is not past its use-by date (either the timeframes it is authorised for or the expiry date)
Medicine must be accessible to educators but out of reach to children
All children’s medicine should be readily accessible to educators 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.
Dispose of medicine safely and appropriately after the use by date. If parents provided the medicine, you may choose to send it home instead.
Educators cannot hold onsite and administer paracetamol, ibuprofen or ingestible analgesics that have not been provided by a parent. When these category medicines are provided by a parent, they should only be ones that are prescribed for the use by their child.
Records
Every service must keep a record of all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) given to children when attending, regardless of whether it is administered by an educator or by the child’s parent.
Each record must include:
the child’s full name
the name and amount of medicine
the date and time administered and by whom
and evidence of parental authority to administer and acknowledgement of administration.
Category (i) medicines should be acknowledged on the day administered.
Parents must acknowledge medicines have been administered
Parents must acknowledge that category (i) medicines have been administered on the same day they have been given.
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.
Assessing whether you comply with HS219
Questions we are likely to ask
How do you record medicine that has been administered to children?
How do you make sure medications are administered correctly?
Can you show me where you store medications?
How do you keep track of medicine’s expiry dates?
How do you dispose of any expired medications?
We are likely to look at, measure or count
Where medications are stored.
Whether the medication records include:
the child’s full name
the name and dosage of the medication administered
the date and time the medication was administered
the name of the person who gave the medication.
Whether the records follow the rules for the type of medicine category and show written permission from the parent and whether you have let them know that medicine has been given.
We are likely to request
A sample of records of the written authority from parents for category (i) and (ii).
A 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.
Health requirements for early childhood services – Health New Zealand
Schedule: Categories of medicine and written authority required from parents for criterion HS219
By following good medicine administration processes and documentation requirements:
services are well placed to support children’s health and wellbeing
parents are assured that the service is doing everything it can to help their children
both parents and medics have a record in the event a child experiences 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.
It’s a good idea to keep records of medication administered during the current and previous year.
Naming medication
When category (i) or (ii) medication is bought into the service by parents the packaging/container, all parts of the medication should be named. For example, if an inhaler is brought in, the inhaler, box and spacer and mask (if supplied) is named.
When over-the-counter medication is supplied by parents, both the packaging and the container should be named 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 to make sure the suspension, or medication dose for body weight, is correct for the child who requires it.
Sunscreen
We do not consider sunscreen a medicine.
Guidance for services about how to communicate to parents the use of sunscreen
Nappy rash barrier preparations
We do not consider nappy rash barrier preparations as medicines.
Guidance for services about how to communicate to parents the use of nappy rash preparations