My new mindee was meant to start today but Mum bought her and showed me a rash around her mouth. Im pretty sure it looks like the beginnings of impetigo. Mum was fine about taking her home and said she will call the GP.
If it is impetigo, how long does she need to stay away?

hmmmm my daughter had it but was over xmas so I wasn't working anyway so i can't remember

they are usually given antibiotics

have just looked on the nhs website http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/impetigo/Pages/Introduction.aspx

and it says they're not usually contagious after 48 hours after starting treatment

Hope that helps

She needs to have been treated for 48 hours. (I had one of mine with this last week and rang NHS direct who confirmed it). ;)

Thanks ladies
I have her Tues, Wed, Thurs 10-3.....so even if she starts treatment later today she can't come back until next week.....what an easy first week for me then! Next week will be awful though, i have another new starter so thats 2 in one week now, lol!

Usually when it starts to scab over and is no longer wet - it's nasty though as if they don't finish course of antibiotics properly it can come back and it looks really sore if it gets bad.

When my mindee had it his parents wouldn't take him to GP so I refused to have him until they had seen GP. GP prescribed antibiotics and said he coudn't be sure but wouldn't rule it out so he stayed away from my setting but parents still sent him to school and school never sent him home :mad:

My main worry was my other parents who had noticed it and kept asking me if he had been to GP yet so I don't regret my decision but was made to feel a little like i over reacted by his parents.

i won't have them back until it is dry/scabbed over as my son has eczema and don't want to risk getting impetigo in that.

hmmm, im confused now! Mum has emailed me to say that her GP is going to ring her and do her a prescription for her to collect. She said it doesnt clear for 10 days so LO wont be with me for at least 2 weeks! Should i tell her that once she is being treated 48 hours off is fine then she can come back? Or let her stay off all that time, if that is what her GP has told her?! Im concerned that the GP hasn't actually looked at it to be honest.

If it is Mum saying 2 weeks then I wouldn't quibble to be honest, it's highly contagious so I wouldn't encourage them to come back sooner if you don't have to.