To make a complaint about local soft play centre, and who do i contact?

[Lucyellensmum100]

My DD sustained a relatively serious injury at a soft play centre. It was no-ones fault, although on reflection i have always been a bit about the particular bit of equipment she was playing on (springy see saw type thing) but still, i let her go on it, the boy she was with was too rough, she fell off and bit her tongue (i have another thread about that saga). So no fault really with the centre there. Im not going to be chasing compo!

However, my issue is with how we were treated after the event. No offer of help whatsoever, despite my DD screaming the place down and blood everywhere, i mean everywhere! I thought she had knocked her teeth out at first. I had to go to the toilets to find something to wipe her mouth with, no offer of anytthing to clean up. Another mum in the centre asked the owner for a ice pole or soemthing, he offered that, asked if i wanted him to look at it, took one look and said, "oh, that looks really bad" err, no shit sherlock! No offer of help etc, didnt ask my name etc. I then asked where the nearest minor injuries unit was - not my home town. I knew i would have to wait for my DP to get to us to take us to the MI at "home", but thouht if there was one in walking distance. He didn't even know! i mean, FFS!

My DP and DM have both expressed surprise that there was no first-aider on the premises, does anyone know if there is supposed to be? No accident book, nothing? What if it was a worse injury such as a broken bone? Are these places just considered the same as a normal play park? I am being charged to go in there, so surely i should expect some duty of care? I couldn't think straight, i was in a panic, a first aider couldn't have done any more but could have least calmed us both down, instead of me having to take my poor dd over the the doctors surgery that was over the road who of course had no facilities to deal with it, so in hindsight would have been better just to stay where we were until DP got there. But i got the impression they just wanted the screaming child out of there :(

No point complaining to the mangagement, the guy was the owner i think. Will it be local environmental health? council? that i have to complain to? It not tht i think it was their fault, it wasn't but the just didnt seem to have a clue, or any interest in what to do.

Health and safety executive might be able to give advice. Sounds like it was handled very very poorly and an accident report should have definitely been filled in.

Gosh, all our soft play places have trained first aides, an accident book for insurance purposes, and would call an ambulance for a serious injury at the same time as offering emergency first aid.

With 4 DC's, I have had call to use the trained first aiders on numerous occasions over the last 14 years.

That is spectacularly shit of them, given your DD's injury, and very possibly invalidates their liability insurance...

Was there an accident book you filled in and signed?

Thankyou so much - i don't want to be one of those, grrrr, my child is injured i need someone to blame and take it out on type mothers, but we were not looked after at all, and i felt so scared. Another mum came chasing down the road after i left to say she had found a MI on her phone and did i want a lift there, but my DP was already on his way, but i shouldn't have had to just flee to the doctors, they coudln't do anything as they had no MI but a nurse did come and look at her, gave us somewhere to sit and wait for DP and cleaned her up.

No accident book Jumping, no - nothing It was the first thing my DP asked when he picked me up.

They are in serious breach of H&S legislation.

Phone the council in the morning, the receptionist will know which department - at ours Environmental Health deals with public safety

Yes do complain - I regret not doing so when my daughter fell at a soft play session at a council run sports centre - she was in agony - they said 'we have no first aiders on the weekends ' and gave me a dirty wet t towel to wrap round it ...she had broken her leg in 2 places - I should have got very cross with them at the time!

Definitely report it...and if you get nowhere, report it again, perhaps to a paper local to the softplay place?

YANBU, they should have first aider and accident book To cover them as part of their PI insurances id of thought. Sounds like you were treated terribly, hope your poor DD is ok, but definitely complain, to
Anyone who will listen, council, env health, local news etc

I was at a soft play place, years ago,when a child had an accident and there was a bit of blood. The registered first aider was nowhere to be seen. Eventually she was found, unconscious under the big table in the party room - she'd passed out at the thought of blood!

gordy, so sorry to hear about your DD :( Thats just awful - The problem is, at the time we don't have the time or inclination to be cross because we have to deal with our DCs but i am now becoming incandescant actually. I'm not going to let this go. at their decision not to have FAs at weekends, thts the busiest time. But then this place clearly didn't have any at any time :( It would seem that they don't have to? surely that can't be right

Agree with others, expect first aid and an accident book at the very least, even basic first aid, so kit with bandages, wipes etc.

My DSS once took a flyer on some metal steps of a fun house one night at a massive fair, within seconds they'd hit the emergency stop, flood lights lit the whole thing up and two staff came flying out with all the kit, he'd split his chin open, the did what they could and we had to fill in an accident form, we were amazed at the efficiency of a travelling fair so definitely would expect a fixed premises to offer at least the same.

Oh and they even offered our money back and gave him a teddy to calm him down, we went over to st johns ambulance on site who steristripped his chin and the fair guy even came and gave a copy of the accident report to them.
Was proper

its a work place, so they should have first aider, same as an office or a building site ect and also an accident book.

www.rospa.com/leisuresafety/playsafety/services/indoor-soft-play.aspx

go to that website

Thanks McHappyPants - i looked on HSE and it appears not to cover that, its a local authority thing i presume as it is a leisure fascility? bit vague as HSE cover fairgrounds.

That's amazing ratbag!

I suppose in that game, the fair game (fnarr!) reputation is ALL as the Council must approve them I believe and any funny business could mean liability so...

OP, don't let this go, hope the little one gets well soon and you calm down soon - I'd be raging too.

How are they open and running with no 1st aid provision?!
My ds had a minor bump the other day and I asked for a 1st aider who cleaned it up for me and got me to fill in a form - how it should be!

from rospa site (thanks again McHappy) "All staff should be aware of emergency evacuation procedures and how to deal with an injured or comatose child. Contact details for the emergency services should be at hand. Safe hand over of children to adult carers after evacuation child protection policy."

No First aid at all, when i ASKED where the minor injury unit the guy didn't know!

"Does all staff know where the accident book is kept and how to fill it in.

Is staff aware of cleanliness regimes and how to clean blood and body fluid spills Children who are bleeding (however little) should be removed from the area until any blood flow has been treated and ceased."

Errr, no none of that

Rolls up sleeves! i thouht i was being precious, but no - theres a phone number it will be the first call i make in the morning. I wish i had asked the other parents their details as witnesses :(

Dd twisted her arm at a soft play party last year (I had left her at host parent suggestion).

I got called to collect and when I arrived she had been treated by first aider and I was asked to sign record in accident book and given an info sheet with local A&e info. The next day I received a call from the centre asking how she was and another the week after.

This is what i would expect but it may be due to a child dying there some years ago meaning they are very stringent.

LEM: I work on a local paper (not near you) but a few months ago we had an appeal in the paper by a mum asking for people who were in a certain place at a certain time who many have witnessed an incident.

We were amazed when two woman rang to say yes, actually, I was there, how can I help?

Perhaps something like that? Or even a letter to the editor thanking the other people who helped you, but unfortunately you didn't catch their names and ask them to contact the paper and they can pass YOUR details onto them?

Something like this may work in contacting the witnesses.

Thanks fairhead - it is worth considering, i will see how i get on with the initial calls first. Hopefull witnesses wont be an issue.

There is no legal requirement for play centres to assist if children are injured. I think this is disgusting. Thankyou for all your messages of support.

Contact the Environmental Health team in your local council, they will carry out an investigation.

Shartsi, no they wont, because i did just that, thankyou for the advice, but was advised that they play centre in question, acted appropriately and only have an obligation to provide FA to their staff - it beggars belief.

Hi
Does anybody know how to make a complaint about a soft play I cant get on there website, I don't know if its the local council or someone else, if anybody's got any advice it would be much appreciated.
Thanks