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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not take dd to fracture clinic

56 replies

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 19:04

i probably am aren't I?

She broke her little finger a few days ago while we were on holiday. Not a bad break and not into the joint. The hospital in Wales was very nice and strapped it up and told me to ring up my home town hospital fracture clinic and get her seen a week after the break. The nurse said they'd want to check for malrotation, ie that when she bends her finger it isn't wonky.

So I ring up hospital back home. They won't make an appt in fracture clinic until I turn up at our local a&e and endure the usual 7 hour wait. Only when dd has been seen by their a&e will she get an appt at their fracture clinic.

I reckon I can keep checking her finger to see if it's in line or not. Keep it strapped for six weeks..........is that bad? How serious is a little finger break? I never had to go to fracture clinic when I broke my big toe.

OP posts:

scurryfunge · 13/08/2011 19:28

Yes, the fracture clinic x rayed again but at least it was an appointment and not the hours and hours wait. It must be down to different NHS trusts then. We had no problem (Essex).

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 19:31

Please don't get cross that the gp won't refer. I've been here before with the gp refusing to refer me and telling me to go to a&e with a week old fracture. I've spoken to the fracture clinic and they've told me I need to go to a&e, they said dd will need her finger xraying by them before they see her in fracture clinic. My gp can't xray her finger and they want an xray in front of them.

OP posts:

AnyFucker · 13/08/2011 19:34

go at 8am on a weekday morning

you won't wait 7 hours then

CMOTdibbler · 13/08/2011 20:07

Sally, what I meant was if Beavers fracture clinic really need to see people through that route, minor injuries is a lot easier than A&e. Where we used to live there was a nurse led service that dealt with fractures then sent you to fracture clinic at the big hospital for followup

livinonaprayer · 13/08/2011 20:11

Go as soon as you wake up and it is unlikely to be that busy. In my personal experience (3 DC lots of visits!) this is the quietest time at our a and e!

jenniec79 · 13/08/2011 20:21

The break is unlikely to be a big deal - we tend to watch this sort of break get better tbh, but you could end up with a HV visit if your child gets lost to follow up, as children missing appointments/follow up is treated as a bit of a red flag.

Ring the fracture clinic directly and ask. Best time to call is probably just before lunch, so the morning patients have all arrived and afternoon ones not there yet. If she has strapping on then pitching up to plaster room for help re-doing it would be a reasonable way in to the local system too. Otherwise your GP should be able to sort you an appointment over the phone.

And it IS an A&E problem, the first A&E should have sorted out follow up close to home (whether that's a letter to drop in to fracture clinic or an appointment will vary, but it should have been done)

Where in the country are you though?

jenniec79 · 13/08/2011 20:25

Viva Just re read the OP - Were you seen by an A&E doctor in the first A&E? They should have a good idea about rotation on the day.

lady007pink · 13/08/2011 20:34

Please take her. I'm a Radiographer and I've seen too many instances of bones moving out of place during the healing process - because the patients thought it was too much trouble to attend their fracture clinic appointments.

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 21:27

Never saw a dr at the welsh a&e, saw a nurse. She did try and check for malrotation but dd couldn't move her fingers enough for the nurse to check as it hurt too much.

OP posts:

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 21:28

It wasn't a proper a&e in Wales, It was a cottage hospital with an xray machine.

OP posts:

FabbyChic · 13/08/2011 21:32

Take her, if it does not fix properly she will be deformed and it will be your fault.

As has been said go at 7am in the morning when it is clear. Most hospitals have specialist childrens departments in Casualty.

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 21:38

Oh and I've just had to restrap it myself as she decided to take all the strapping off after getting it wet. Is there any special technique to the strapping?

OP posts:

jenniec79 · 13/08/2011 22:04

It's not hard to re-strap, just that if you go to the plaster room to get it done (all the ones I've workd with would sort out a problem no bother) then you could get her into the system from there.

Keeping it dry is the main thing. After that having enough hands to restrap yourself is tricky, but she has DM to do it!

marriedinwhite · 13/08/2011 22:26

You have an x-ray taken in Wales and there should be a report that should have been sent to your GP. This is ludicrous and compounds the fact that the right arm cannot speak to the left in the UK. At my most implacable I would phone the hospital in Wales to seek confirmation that the report and copy Xray has been sent to my GP. I would then make an appointment with my GP and request that a copy is sent to the fracture clinic to which yoru dd is referred and also given to me so that I have a copy when I attend the appointment and find out that it the details have not, as was agreed, been forwarded. This is why you should not leave an a&e dept. in a holiday location without a copy cd and a written report. Although when DD smashed her leg on holiday and I had her referred to a private hospital in London I had to pay 40 odd for the privilege although I was assured if it hadn't been a private referral it would have been free. I would be asking why one has to visit two a&e departments when the system is supposed to be at breaking point. Idiotic beaurocracy and a total lack of respect for the time of the people who fund the system. It will change when we shift to an American insurance system and they have to start providing a modicum of service if they expect the invoice to be settled. I'm not saying that system is right but when the piper has to pipe to be paid we might see a somewhat more integrated and efficient system. The staff might then even learn to say please and thank you and how are you!!

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 13/08/2011 22:35

The nurse was going to give me a cd but then came and said their policy had changed and they were now posting them onwards. Apparently some hospitals weren't happy with people turningp with CDs of xrays as the xray could be anyone. . Now I'm sure they either door could easily get your name on the corner of the xray slide. But some hospitals were not accepting them and insisting in proper postal referrals so that's the route this welsh hospital has gone down.

The bureaucracy is bonkers. Why on eRth would I take dd to fracture clinic with an xray that wasn't really her and pretend shed broken her finger.

OP posts:

A1980 · 13/08/2011 22:37

I reckon I can keep checking her finger to see if it's in line or not.

Unless you have medical training then YABU.

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 29/08/2011 23:37

Well it seems the fracture clinic aren't very bothered about seeing her.

I took her to the gp two days after the initial post and she was referred to the fracture clinic. A week later I rang fracture clinic as I hadn't heard from them. They said they hadn't got a referral from the gp and told me to go to a&e. I rang the gp back instead and told the gp to ring and talk to the fracture clinic and sort it out. They were happy to do this and then on Friday I got a message left saying that an appt has been made. But it didn't say when for.

I rang clinic back, no one ever answers the phone so I left a message saying can you tell me when the appt is. So far they haven't rung back. I'm not ipressed at all.

I work at the hospital and spoke to a dr on our ward today and he said he wouldn't bother witH fracture clinic now. Said it's too late and as long as dd isnt in pain and can move it ok it'll be fine. I just can't believe that I have rung them frequently over the last three weeks and not been able to get an appt.

OP posts:

yellowsubmarine41 · 30/08/2011 01:00

You'll may well get a letter in the post tomorrow, saying when the appointment is.

When either I or my children have been at a & e away from home, they've sent a copy of the report to our GP and when we've needed a follow up appointment, called there and then to our local hospital to make it so that the time is convenient.

Correct protocol is that the hospital which does the initial assessment/treatment should co-ordinate (or ask another party ie GP) to coordinate follow up.

Hope that you dd is okay.

RedHelenB · 30/08/2011 08:32

But if you had gone to A & E as advised then she would have been seen. Hope it's healed up ok.

RunAwayHome · 30/08/2011 09:42

I think it might be common practice to have to have an A&E referral to fracture clinic. I broke my ankle once but didn't know it, as the sports injury clinic at the hospital (who had x-rayed it) said it was sprained; repeated visits to GP when it wasn't getting better eventually resulted in her referring me for another x-ray. The x-ray clinic then decided it was indeed fractured, and had to send me to A&E from within the hospital, in order to get an appointment at the fracture clinic for a week later. Waste of A&E's time, as it was a 6-week old injury by that point, and because they couldn't actually do anything but refer me on.

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 30/08/2011 17:51

Yes if I'd gone to a&e then it probably would have been sorted but I tried my Gp as loads of people here advised and they said they can do referrals. Fracture clinic do accept gp referrals but my referral has gone AWOL.

No letter from fracture clinic today, they haven't rung me back as I asked them to on the messages I've left for them, nor are they answering their phone.

OP posts:

myBOYSareBONKERS · 30/08/2011 20:33

if you work at the hospital why don't you walk to the clinic and speak to them in person

Original poster

VivaLeBeaver · 30/08/2011 21:21

Its a 20 min walk from the mat unit to fracture clinic. I can't leave the ward as I don't get a break. The fracture clinic opens after I get to work and closes before I finish so no chance to.

OP posts:

myBOYSareBONKERS · 31/08/2011 06:47

Either you work very short hours (i.e less than 6) in which case the fracture clinic would be open longer than that OR you work longer than that and so legally you are entitled to a break.

If I wasn't getting my breaks I would be speaking to management as it is illegal.

foxinsocks · 31/08/2011 07:03

Lol she can't win! First of all, people said it was a waste of time her going to a and e and she should go to the GP. Now she goes to the GP and people are saying she should have gone to a and e!

Fwiw, ds's was checked out in minor injuries. The specialist nurse checked it out and his xray was reviewed by the orth consultant.

I'm sure you'll get the appointment in the post. Normally takes a few days.

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