Health & Nutrition - Playing it safe
Meredith Jones Russell
Monday, December 21, 2020
Once the Christmas decorations are back in the box, settings must still bear coronavirus in mind, as Meredith Jones Russell discovers
With many children and staff spending their Christmas with friends and loved ones, the threat of another spike in Covid-19 cases this month looms large, and nurseries may have to take steps to start the new year safely.
‘As people travel during the festive season, and with increased social mixing between different households compared with that in the last few months, we may expect to see a rise in the number of Covid-19 infections,’ say Sangeeta Bhatia and Katy Gaythorpe of Imperial College London.
MODERATE EVIDENCE
Children are less likely to be seriously affected by the virus, however, and consultant paediatrician Ed Abrahamson says current thinking continues to suggest they are ‘not that efficient’ at spreading it either.
‘It is now very clear that cases in young children form a very small proportion of the overall disease burden of Covid-19,’ he says.
However, Drs Bhatia and Gaythorpe are keen to stress children can still be infected, and evidence of whether they can pass it on to adults is ‘more conflicted’.
‘There is moderate evidence that transmission is less likely to and from younger individuals in the household, but this difference is less evident when examining all settings,’ they explain.
Furthermore, January is peak time for other respiratory infections, and Dr Abrahamson warns this could affect settings too.
‘We have seen very low levels of the common infections usually seen at this time of the year so far this winter, such as bronchiolitis, croup, viral wheeze, norovirus and influenza; indeed, remarkably low levels,’ he explains. ‘However, it is possible, even likely, that after the Christmas break, these infections will make a comeback, and nurseries will start to see higher levels.’
EVOLVING SITUATIONS
In a constantly evolving situation, and facing challenges such as conflicting advice on isolation rules for staff, settings are having to be somewhat reactive to changing circumstances (see More information).
Chris Marston, commercial director at Mama Bear’s Day Nursery, says, ‘Staffing is the biggest challenge. We’re managing the situation hour by hour and day by day to ensure there are enough staff members for children. We evaluate the risk daily, but we don’t even know what’s going to happen next week, so planning ahead is difficult, and any help is rubbish.
‘I sit on the board of a multi-academy trust, and in comparison, nurseries are completely left out of any support from the Department for Education. They seem to think private day nurseries are raking in money, so we become very much second-class citizens. I’m not sure how they could physically help, but just mentioning us would be a start. From a staffing perspective, when a classroom ratio is 1:30 but a baby room is 1:3, naturally we are going to be stuffed.’
Mike Abbott, operations director at London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), agrees that this month could bring new problems for settings.
‘I suspect over the Christmas period with, to be honest, some laxness in interpreting the rules, we will see some resurgence in January, which, along with September, is such a key month for new starters.’
The group’s approach this month will remain much the same as throughout the pandemic, however. ‘Our mitigations will mostly stay in place,’ Mr Abbott says. ‘We have already shortened our days by half an hour at the start and end, and we don’t have staff in different nurseries within one week, to avoid a “superspreader” situation.’
With a vaccine on the horizon, Mr Abbott wants early years staff to be considered as recipients. ‘We understand the parameters within the roll-out of the vaccine, and of course saving lives is the most important thing. However, we would like to see teachers and nursery workers getting some priority at the next stage of the offer. If we aren’t able to open, people can’t go to work. It is great news to have a vaccine, but we hope it can be used to keep people working.’
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
In the meantime, Drs Bhatia and Gaythorpe suggest continuing to follow NHS advice, including frequent handwashing, making space, keeping areas well-ventilated and moving things outside where possible.
‘This could be useful as people return to work after the holidays,’ they say. ‘However, we acknowledge this is not always feasible, especially for nurseries.’
Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager for the Early Years Alliance, advises staff and managers follow governmental guidance as closely as possible to help keep everyone safe in 2021.
‘For setting managers and their teams returning to work in January, it would be timely to undertake a review of existing risk assessments at their settings, together with any relevant local and national guidance,’ she says.
‘This will help to reassure staff and create a feeling of shared responsibility for keeping everyone safe. A provider may also wish to remind employees about the importance of following the Government’s guidance for individuals over the winter break, but they are not in a position to impose any additional measures on employees outside of the setting.
‘In an ideal world, there would be a gap between staff visiting other households and returning to work. However, the Government has said nurseries should not alter their planned holiday dates, underlining the importance of children attending education settings. Parents should therefore be mindful that if their child remains at home, they risk missing out on crucial early education and important interaction with other young children.’
MORE INFORMATION
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/social-distancing/what-you-need-to-do
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