Is your child too unwell for school/nursery?
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school or nursery when they’re unwell. Most schools and nurseries have their own guidelines on this and how long a child should stay off after being unwell but there is a useful guide available.
Some of the illness outlined in the Government Guidelines are as follows:
| Illness | Government Guidance |
| Chickenpox | You should keep children off school/nursery until all the spots have crusted over – this is typically about 5 days after the first spots appear. |
| Coldsore | There is no need to keep your child off school/nursery. |
| Conjunctivitis | There is no need to keep your child off school/nursery. |
| Ear infection | If your child has an ear infection and a fever or severe ear ache, its best to keep them off school/nursery until their fever goes away and their feeling better. |
| Fever | Keep them off school/nursery until the fever goes away. |
| Hand, foot and mouth disease | If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school/nursery, there’s no need to keep them off |
| Head lice and nits | There is no need to keep your child off school/nursery. |
| Impetigo | They will need antibiotic treatment from the GP and should be kept off school/nursery until the sores have crusted over and healed or for 48 hours after they start antibiotics. |
| Ringworm | There is no need to keep your child off school/nursery, once they have started treatment. |
| Scarlet fever | They will need antibiotics from the GP but can go back to school/nursery after starting them. |
| Slapped cheek syndrome | You do not need to keep your child off school/nursery because once the rash has appeared they are no longer infectious. |
| Sore Throat | Your child can still attend school/nursery however, if they have a fever they should stay at home under it goes away. |
| Threadworms | There is no need to keep your child off school/nursery. |
| Vomiting & Diarrhoea | Children should be kept off school/nursery for 2 days after their symptoms have cleared up. |
*Please be aware that schools and nurseries rules on the above may vary, so its best to check with them if you are unsure.
Eye Health Awareness Week is the perfect time to book your eye test!
Regular eye tests are important, not only will the optometrist tell you if you require glasses or have a change in prescription, but they will also carry out eye health checks to spot any early signs of eye conditions before they become a problem.
Optometrists are highly trained and can recognise abnormalities and conditions that could be causing eye problems. They will prescribe and fit glasses and contact lenses, and, if necessary, they will refer you to a GP or a hospital eye clinic for further investigations.
The NHS recommend you get an eye test every two years (more often if advised by your ophthalmic practitioner or optometrist).
An NHS sight (eye) test is free of charge if you are in one of the eligible groups and your sight test is considered clinically necessary. If the ophthalmic practitioner can’t see a clinical need then you’ll have to pay for the test privately. For more information take a look at free NHS sight tests and optical vouchers.
How can I tell if my child is having issues with their eyes?
Children often do not complain about their sight, but they may show signs of being unable to see properly such as:
- Sitting closer to the TV
- Holding objects very close to their face
- Blinking a lot
- Eye rubbing
- One eye turning in or out
If you think your child has any sort of sight problem, book and appointment at the opticians for further investigation. Children so not have to be able to read letters to have their eyes tested.
Children under 16 years of age or 16, 17 or 18 year olds in full time education are entitled to free NHS eye examinations.
You can find your local opticians by visiting NHS Choices.
EU Exit advice for patients
We have heard from many of our patients with questions around their health and care as a consequence of an EU Exit.
The best source of information can be found on www.nhs.uk. This website will be updated on a regular basis.
Information for patients regarding medicines
Please keep ordering your repeat prescriptions and taking your medicines as normal. It’s very important you don’t order more medicines than normal. If you do, then it may mean that other people won’t be able to get their medicines.
Further information is available on www.NHS.uk