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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Son fractured wrist at school and nothing was done!

56 replies

mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:31

My son (9) fell in the playground on friday at playtime, badly hurt his wrist and was looked at by a first-aider. She asked him to wiggle his fingers (he could) and then said there was nothing wrong with him and sent him back out to the playground. He then went back into class, and was apparently (according to his concerned friends) sobbing all afternoon. His teacher didn't ask what was wrong (presume she hadn't been made aware of the incident) and he had to carry on working for the rest of the day with no attention. At hometime when I saw him it was immediately apparent that he was extremely distressed, and just one look at his wrist was enough to see something was clearly not right. A different first aider looked at it, and suggested I get straight to a&e, which we did. Turned out that he had a distal radius fracture. I am very upset that noone thought to phone me/tell me, and he didn't have an accident/bump slip. When I went in to school yesterday to discuss it and express my concerns at the way he was dealt with, I asked several times about the accident book record and said I wanted to see it. I was basically told they'd look into it and get back to me. I would appreciate your thoughts/advice x

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 23:17

I agree that accidents happen, it's one of those things. But schools have a duty of care to their pupils, and I feel he was let down. Maddy68, he was sobbing all afternoon, and many of his concerned classmates related this to me. He was red-eyed and in distress at hometime. By the way, the doctor at hospital said that a distal radius fracture is one of the most common fractures in children, and the fact you can wiggle your fingers is no indicator. The test is if you can outstretch your arm, palm down, and rotate the wrist to palm up.

OP posts:
Musicaltheatremum · 28/01/2014 23:20

I told my 7 year old daughter not to make a fuss of her sore wrist for about 6 hours. I am a GP. eventually took her to hospital and it was broken. Oops. I would let school know but really it can be very difficult to diagnose.

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 23:21

When I went to collect him, he was very pale and his wrist was freezing to touch, and purple mottled

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 28/01/2014 23:21

Yes but Mrsshep, first aiders don't get that kind of training. We aren't nurses or doctors.

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 23:26

If it's as simple as turning your palm, then maybe it should be added to a first aiders checklist?

OP posts:
LurkingCinners · 28/01/2014 23:27

I'd be cross too that he was ignored while crying in class and I'd bring it up with his teacher. What if it was something that needed urgent medical attention?
My son broke his finger in the playground when he was 8 and he tried to tell the teacher several times, was sent to the medical room and sent back to class as "ok". 2 Hours later I was called because he had a vomiting bug (?). Turned out he had been in so much pain that he threw up. His finger was black and blue. I was livid and got the message through to class teacher and HT.

nannynewo · 28/01/2014 23:30

Your poor DS. Hope he is okay soon. As for the first aider, I wouldn't be too cross with him/her. These things are easy to miss and children are very good at hiding emotions.

I am shocked at the teacher not asking him why he was upset though. Are you sure your son had been crying all afternoon? I am not at all calling him a liar, I am sure he probably was, but I work in a school and can't imagine no one asking him what was the matter :/ it seems a bit odd!

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 23:32

LurkingCinners- thanks for your post. How did you get on with dealing with the school? I get the impression that they want to sweep everything under the carpet x

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 28/01/2014 23:37

It's true though. First aid training for school staff should concentrate on things that might actually happen in a school.

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 23:45

nannynewo- I have complained to the head about this teacher before, she shouts excessively and is rather mean (I've spent quite a bit of time in class, and witnessed it). She lacks empathy, and stands out from the other lovely, caring teachers. It's a great, ofsted outstanding school, and I want is for them to acknowledge that they didn't handle it particularly well, and apologise. Then that will be the end of it.

OP posts:
nannynewo · 28/01/2014 23:50

Hope all is sorted soon! This teacher sounds awful! I guess I find it hard to understand because I have only ever worked with wonderful teachers. But I do know there are some not so good teachers and I hope this situation makes her realise she needs to change her ways.
Good luck!

littledrummergirl · 28/01/2014 23:50

Ds1 had a sore shoulder last year. After six days his arm went white and cold so I took him to A&E. It was a dislocated clavicle. I'm a first aider. Biscuit

Ihatepeas · 28/01/2014 23:55

I would be livid if I was you op.. Not so much at the first aider but at the teacher. It Is completely beyond me how you can ignore a crying and in pain child all afternoon.. I hope your ds feels better soon.

enuffisenuff · 29/01/2014 00:06

NC for this.

Similar happened to my little sister on a school trip (stay away). She spiral fractured her arm whilst doing an activity that involved climbing a metal frame, in wellies in the rain and was checked over, told it was bruised and had it put in a sling by the on site first aider. Hmm The next day she was encouraged to take the sling off as it would be "good for her", and then was made to continue wriggling under army nets and mountain bike round the courses etc for the next few days. When we finally collected her from school she was deathly white, stunned into silence and her arm was hanging about 4" lower than the other one. We went to the local A&E who rushed her to a larger hospital as her artery was in danger of being severed.

Fucking ridiculous! The place is no longer running. All my mum got was a call on the day of the accident to say she'd slipped, had a bruise but was fine Sad I'm sorry your DS went through that OP.

Preferthedogtothekids · 29/01/2014 00:11

As and ex-nurse and a current TA, I have been guilty of missing a broken wrist in the Playground. On one particular occasion it was an 11yr old boy who had fallen, he had some pain, but had no swelling, deformity or loss of function and played football for the remainder of the lunch break.

He just didn't have any of the qualifying features for an obvious fracture and you can't just send for a parent/ambulance if it might be fractured or there would be a constant stream of sore children heading off to hospital after every break.

Original poster
mrsshep · 29/01/2014 00:16

Yes but Preferthedogstothekids, surely it's unacceptable to ignore a child in distress in your classroom?

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsshep · 29/01/2014 00:17

Yes but Preferthedogstothekids, surely it's unacceptable to ignore a child in distress in your classroom?

OP posts:
Preferthedogtothekids · 29/01/2014 00:25

Yes, that would be unacceptable and should be the basis for a complaint.

Becles · 29/01/2014 01:09

I agree with the posters who pointed out that a fracture is actually very easy to miss. Studies have shown that missed fractures form the majority of diagnostic errors made in A&E departments, so it's no surprise that a few slip through in a non clinical setting.

However, I seriously doubt that a 9 year old sat crying in class and was ignored for the whole afternoon. Aside from being unable to teach, the teacher would have sent him out to the first aid room if only to get some peace.

OP I think your past issues with the teacher are influencing your approach and would suggest that before you go in all guns blazing merely on the word of some 9 year olds, you should (in a non confrontational manner) make time to meet with the teacher to discuss your concerns - if you remain unhappy then contact the head teacher.

EmmaBemma · 29/01/2014 05:39

I had a broken arm for a week before my dad took me to casualty as it was still hurting - as lots of other people say, fractures can be easily missed sometimes. There was no swelling.

LurkingCinners · 29/01/2014 06:23

mrs I raised it with the head and said it was not acceptable that a child says in class that something really hurt and not be taken seriously. At the time I was just stunned because they had rung me because he had been sick, making no connection to the injury on his finger. As if they didn't believe him. That worried me. I never got an apology.

That they missed the fracture I can understand. Not that they ignored him when he said it was really badly hurting.

There were other things very wrong with this (nice catchment area, ofsted outstanding) school but my ds didn't want to move schools (mates etc).

TamerB · 29/01/2014 06:31

My son broke his arm at school and was told it couldn't be broken or he would be in more pain. I didn't think there was anything wrong until the next morning. Our neighbours child went overnight with a broken foot and his father said he was just making a fuss- his father was a doctor!
However, I would have expected the teacher to have investigated the crying.

PenguinBear · 29/01/2014 06:43

What part of the UK are you in op? (Roughly)
sounds like a member of staff at my school

stinkingbishop · 29/01/2014 06:57

My parents were GPs and missed me having pneumonia (bad enough to have messed up my lungs now) and DB having a broken arm!

So...I wouldn't be too irate with the First Aider although she does need to know for the future. The teacher not noticing though (is it just DS who's said this? Have you spoken to her? Classmates?) and the shiftiness over the accident book...not good enough.

lljkk · 29/01/2014 07:19

You need to find out if his signs of distress in classroom really were that obvious.