temporary policy change for swine flu?

[jumpinjen]

Hi,

I am considering temporarily amending my sickness policy for a period of four to six weeks to cover the period when the swine flu epidemic is expected to peak and then begin to wane again.

Currently i accept with cold symptoms and temperatures as long as able to join in with normal activities.

i am considering amending it to exclude until temp normal without medication being used where there is a high temp combined with othe swine flu symptoms, as listed by the NHS:

"If you or a member of your family has a fever or high temperature (over 38C/100.4F) and two or more of the following symptoms, you may have H1N1 flu:

•unusual tiredness
•headache
•runny nose
•sore throat
•shortness of breath or cough
•loss of appetite
•aching muscles
•diarrhoea or vomiting"

The policy on under fives and their risk keeps changing but there is expected to be an explosion in cases once children return to school and I think this will help to protect all families that i care for as well as my own and to keep my business open too which benefits all families!

any one else doing this? what do you think?

jen x

[sarah707]

My concern is that parents will be more likely to dose them up with Calpol / drop them off saying it's teething / forget to mention sickness during the night etc if I exclude for what are often considered minor ailments such as a sore throat or runny nose.

Plus it describes all my children in the week running up to Christmas and most of my family

I am not sure there's an easy answer x

[jumpinjen]

The children I look after have a fair amount of sniffles all through winter and i'm not talking about excluding that... runny noses are par for the course but combined with high temp and other symptoms could be more serious and if they do send dosed up with calpol then it will wear off at some point and then i will know and would be better for all if they don't come until temp has settled... i look after a relatively small number of families and there is only one that send their children without telling me if they have been unwell/are unwell e.g i pick up from school to find they have itchy red eyes and mum said she would get the medication from the chemist.... a text to let me know would have been nice but they don't.... I wondered if it might make them think a bit more before if that's all it achieves..... there are always problems with enforcing policies like that though, i do appreciate that!

jen x

[Dragonfly]

I can see where you are coming from.I am also in the process of altering mine but am a bit stuck. I accept children with coughs and colds (miner ones) but get annoyed when the children arent well enough to go to nursery/preschool on the days they go but can come to me with the same symptons? maybe Im not tough enough.
Would never not take a child with a minor cold, sore throat etc but theres minor and theres heavy/flu like and no I dont take children running a temperature unless it comes on during the day when their here anyway.