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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

In not knowing what to do... DD had her finger nail chopped off in nursery.

21 replies

mamaLou13 · 30/04/2012 21:12

I got a phonecall from the nursery today saying dd has trapped her finger in the door. she said theres no need to pick her up but half of her nail has come off. I went to pick her up straight away and she was asleep, The incident haooend an hour b4 they rang me and she had only just stopped crying and fallen asleep when they called me. It was obvious she had been hysterical as she was still hicupping in her sleep fr a while after i picked her up. She had trapped it in the hinge side of a fire door which for some reason (they did not have an answer) had not been closed and nobody was watching her then this happened! It looks bed and her finger is very bruised and not half but the whole nail is off. I didn't really know what to do at th
time i just wanted to get her t the hospital. The more i think about it the more i am thinking what an absolute disgrace this is to have happened. My question is what should i do? I do not want to be too OTT with them as i can't really take her out of nursery as the other one's around here are really crap. I feel something needs to be done though. She did assure me that they were looking into buying some saftey things for the doors. too little too late though imo! It had to be my baby that lost her finger nail before anything has been put into place!
What would you do?

OP posts:

FashionEaster · 30/04/2012 21:25

How horrible for her and upsetting for you.

They should have really called you straightaway, although maybe they were taken up with caring for her injury, nevertheless, an injury of this nature should be looked at by a professional and they have been remiss in suggesting otherwise.

You could take her to the small injuries unit to have it checked and bandaged in the morning (if she is asleep and in no distress now) or GPs surgery - and presumably they'd refer you if they thought the injury required more attention. Give her pain relief in the night if she is uncomfortable.

And then ask for a meeting with the manager and hear how they are going to prevent other accidents of this kind in the future (they can happen in seconds even in well supervised rooms but dcs of this age are curious) and the care and management of your dd's injury.

dribbleface · 30/04/2012 21:28

How old is your DD? Bless her. Its a difficult one, as she could have caught her finger in the door at home (my DS did)...................but why was the fire door open? What about safety/security, if it was open could someone leave/enter unnoticed?

Fire doors are very heavy, i had my fingers shut in one as a young nursery nurse and it was nasty.

I would ask for a copy of the accident record, how many staff were on duty etc, I would want an explanation as to why the door was open. I think what happens now will tell you what to do next, if they are thorough in their investigations/explanation and precautions for the future I think I would accept it, but if they do not act appropriately I would complain to Ofsted. (I am a nursery manager by the way)

laughlovelife · 30/04/2012 21:29

As horrible as it is, it is more than likely a accident, where no one is to blame, my dh done this just before xmas to DS, and he needed emergency surgery, and needed the top of his finger amputated.

Its one of the most common accidents in children, most are just horrible accidents, I go in and say that you should have been telephoned straight away, and that you want to see the accident report on it, (you need to sign this also) but for me, I know the staff would be feeling crap as it is, as did my dh.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 30/04/2012 21:30

How old is your dd?

Is she old enough to tell you her version of what happened?

I'd want to talk to the manager first thing in the morning to hear what they have to say about what happened and what they will do to ensure that it can't happen again. I'd want to see the accident book (assuming that you've not received your copy of the accident report) and I'd want to know why they'd not called me immediately.

Hope that you can resolve this to your satisfaction because it doesn't sound as though you have many options for alternative childcare.

mummmsy · 30/04/2012 21:35

put in writing a formal complaint (or written 'feedback') to manager, with a specified timescale for response. if they don't respond satisfactorily, report to Ofsted.

poor child, not your fault though so don't feel bad, i'm sure you're angry at nursery

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 30/04/2012 21:36

Are there no finger guards on the door?

FashionEaster · 30/04/2012 21:36

Am not professing any expertise here, but for my own peace of mind, I'd go for medical checkup first to make sure the nailbed or tip isn't damaged and then tackle the nursery.

FashionEaster · 30/04/2012 21:37

The nursery, if a good one, will be upset themselves/already looking for ways to ensure this can't happen again and will be very open with you.

WhirlyByrd · 30/04/2012 21:38

Why haven't they got the hinge cover things you get for doors? They are plastic strips that cover both sides of the hinged part so that little fingers can't get trapped. They have them at DS's school and also had them at the nursery and the local paeds unit in the hospital. I am gobsmacked that a nursery hasn't got them and that they weren't supervising. Yes, accidents happen, but to be honest, there are two ways this could have been avoided, so I would be pointing out that they have failed in their duty of care etc.

2shoes · 30/04/2012 21:38

no advice. but omg poor her
x

doormat · 30/04/2012 21:50

aww your poor dd ..like others have said take her to out of hours/ A and E to get it checked out but most importantly that the injury is logged

i would deffo make a complaint to the manager and to ofsted...

AvocadoAndFitch · 30/04/2012 21:52

No practical advise about how to deal with nursery, I'm crap with any conflict and would probably just cry at them.

But my DD2 finger was trapped in the door at home. Literally the whole nail came off right from the nail bed. I was convinced it could never grow back, let alone look normal but it did quickly.

It looks exactly like the others, to ridges or dents. I only know what finger it was because the whole incident is etched in brain forever. I kept it covered with plaster and she was fine.

Hope your DD is feeling better soon

Original poster

mamaLou13 · 30/04/2012 22:11

Dd is 20 months old. It was not a main outside fire door it was an indoor one you know that are pretty heavy and shut on their own. I am just really upset for her as i know she was absolutley distraught especially that i was not there when it happened. I just feel that whoever went out of the door should have closed it behind them and checked that there was no child in the way and whoever was still in the room should have been making sure that children were not playing by the door. It's horrible because it is a good nursery and i like the staff but i must say when i picked her up the girls in the room were not one's that i am familiar with apart from one older lady who i am guessing was called in after the incident happened. Have i got the right to ask who were the staff on duty and who went through the door and why didn't they shut it properly / ensure no child was there. Also I did sign something before i left they said oh hang on can you sign this. I had dd in my arms and had to get the lady to hold it against the door for me to sign really arkwardly so didn't have a chance to read it, would like to get a copy of that.
I did take dd to the hospital as soon as she woke up this afternoon. She's in good spirits and she's quite a tough cookie really but that's not the point i am her mummy and hate to think of her in pain without me there (or with me there but ynwim).

OP posts:

WhirlyByrd · 01/05/2012 09:20

Even if an inner door they can still have Hinge covers. Ask them to look into it urgently, and get a copy of the accident form you signed. Hope her fingers better soon

WhirlyByrd · 01/05/2012 09:24

Like this:

[http://www.doortech.co.uk/door-finger-protector.htm]

WhirlyByrd · 01/05/2012 09:25

Try again:

www.doortech.co.uk/door-finger-protector.htm

pantaloons · 01/05/2012 09:38

It might be that because the door was a fire door it had self closers and was in the process of closing on it's own when your dd got her finger trapped. At the nursery I used to work at all the fire doors either had springs half way up to close them or a top closer. This would explain why a member of staff didn't physically pull it to themselves and notice your little one. Having said that we also had hinge covers fitted throughout the building. I've been out of nurseries for a while, but hinge and radiator covers were one of the first things checked during inspections. Things do change though. But even our local Morrisons have them in the loo's so you would expect a care setting to have them.

I hope she feels better soon.

Nyac · 01/05/2012 09:51

Them getting you to sign something when you were distracted sounds pretty dodgy.

You need to go in and ask them to explain what happened and what steps they are going to take to prevent it happening again.

lou2321 · 01/05/2012 10:02

There would have been nothing dodgy about what the OP had signed, it would have purely been an accident form to outline wht the injury was and what treatment had been given.

I can understand them not called instantly as they should be more interested in treating the DC but an hour sounds like a long time to have waited to call you.

I think you should speak to the manager ASAP and formally write a complaint (they are required to a complaints procedure displayed for everyone to see!). I don't think you should complain to Ofsted until you have spoken to them.

Also I would ask to see the risk assessment - again this is something they have to do every day to see if they have anything in there about the doors.

Its a tough one though as we don't put finger guards on our doors at home so I am not convinced of what should be required at a nursery. At the end of the day you need to be comfortable with their course of action and that your DC will be safe whilst in their care. It may be it is more of a supervision issue and that your DC should not have been on her own to allow the accident to happen in the first place!

Nyac · 01/05/2012 10:19

I didn't say there was anything dodgy about the form. I said it was dodgy the way they asked her to sign it, without her being aware of what it was, or what exactly she was signing.

That's not a professional way for them to behave.

WhirlyByrd · 01/05/2012 11:21

I agree with pantaloons. It's not common for hinges not to have covers in this day and age in primary settings and also in nursery settings. Whilst it's tru we don't have them at home, most of us don't have self-closing firedoors either. I think in a care setting it is entirely appropriate to have them, particularly as the staff will be supervising more children.I really think you should push them on this point.

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