The Early Years inspection guides information sheet from Ofsted (June 2011) states the following...
Following a recent inquest into the death of a child in a nursery, we were asked by the coroner involved to make inspectors and providers aware of two issues.
The issues stem from the risk to young children of choking on very small food particles, for example food items such as a piece of sausage.
Sadly, some time ago a young child choked on a small piece of sausage and despite the best efforts of the staff who tried to dislodge it and subsequently of medical staff, the child died.
At the inquest, it was identified that the first aid training for nursery staff may not sufficiently equip them to be able to dislodge small items of food from the throats of young children, particularly when firm tummy thrusts are required.
The death of this child was the result of a small piece of sausage creating a `perfect plug’ in the child’s throat. Although the risk of this occurring is slight, it can be further reduced by ensuring that food such as sausage is cut lengthways rather than in a manner which creates a small, round item of food.
Please make the necessary changes to your risk assessments to show you have read, reflected on and reviewed your procedures as a result of the above information.
Bookmarks