Really angry, say something or over reacting?

[aawcmon]

My DD has just started high school and is loving it so far. She has asthma which is well managed, but she always carries her blue inhaler just in case of emergencies. Today, she had a really bad attack for the 1st time in years. I got a phone call from school office saying can you come and collect your daughter, she's feeling a bit breathless. I arrive at school within 20 mins and was shocked to see the state she was in. She was struggling for breath and was crying. She didn't have any adults sitting with her, only her friend from class. Reception staff couldn't have been less interested if they'd tried, I received no background info to what could have triggered the attack. DD had taken her blue inhaler multiple times, but it did not help.... DD was in such a state, I phoned doctor's office who advised me to take her to A&E straight away. We ended up being in hospital most of the day on nebulisers, steroids, x-rays, and she will need on going checks this week as her lung capacity is still not ideal. I am so angry with the school, it was obvious just by looking at her that she was in distress and to leave her by herself, she was panicking and exacerbating the issue. Should I bring this up with school or leave it (DD doesn't want me to do anything as she's scared teachers won't like her as much if I complain)

Surely schools have to risk assess for known medical conditions??? When you are in touch ask if the school has a health and safety officer. Ds2s (small, secondary) school has a specialist h & s officer who called us in to read and sign the risk assessment she produced and circulated to all teaching staff when he was temporarily on crutches . . . a minor condition compared to asthma.

Your poor DD so glad she is ok

Our high school has a nurse but she isnt there every day. I have never had any complaints about school any time one of kids have been ill whether the nurse was there or not but this ignorance about asthma in schools makes me glad mine have never had a major attack at school.

Oh my goodness OP how scary for you and your poor DD! Very sadly a child in my class died a few years ago from severe asthma so I know only too well how dangerous it could be. I would be insisting that the office staff are sent for some training about asthma as their knowledge is clearly lacking. It can't be treated so lightly! Especially not at this time of year.

Your poor DD, I am genuinely shocked at the school's attitude to what can essentially be a life-threatening condition.

You have every right to be raging, and to take this up with them. They need to understand the seriousness of this. Would they leave a kid with a known peanut allergy struggling to breathe? No, not likely. Asthma is common, but there is no excuse for their behaviour. They need educated, and quickly.

I am and 40+ year old and have been scared at times when my asthma has been really bad, so really feel for your DD sitting there on her own struggling

I hope you get on ok this morning.

FreshStart yes I suppose they should but I think the risk assessing thing is mainly because of the crutches. When DD broke her foot she didn't need a risk assessment it was just mutually agreed we'd pick her up and drop her off at reception so there was less chance of her getting knocked.

Thing is with asthma. Theres various triggers. Exercise doesn't really trigger DDs off unless shes already pretty poorly and struggling but she's usually at home with me snuggled up under a duvet in that case! Hers are usually viral infection triggered. Her friend's asthma is triggered by sprays and areosols etc.

Oh my god! Complain complain complain. This is your precious baby girl. You need to ask them about their policy, how they will ensure that it is follow next time etc. Hope she is ok.

of course your priority at the time must be getting your child proper medical attention. It's also helpful to calm down before dealing with serious issues.

Today go and tell the school what happened after you left and discuss as calmly as you can manage what happened. Then ask them what policies they have for dealing with medical emergencies. Go through your child's care plan and discuss whether it was actually followed and whether it need to be changed or just for people to actually follow it.

Children hate you going to their school but your first job is to keep your child alive, then you can worry about the rest.

Willow2017 it can happen in hospitals too with the odd nurse. I had it once with a sozy nurse who looked perplexed when the paracetamol she'd gave me 8 hours earlier had done fuck all for my asthma attack she had me chalked up as a nuisance from.the start. I was even more of one in the end because she ended up being late home because I quickly became a critical patient.
Cant think why... .

Sorry wollow2017 the smiley was in reference to the nurse in question not directed to you.

Definitely complain. Loudly.

Visit the Asthma UK website. They’ve got loads of fact sheets etc

Give them to the school. Don’t worry about seeming patronising. Because that may well be their reaction to any child having an asthma attack and they need to be aware that they have to act immediately.

My uncle and sister both had fatal asthma attacks so it may seem that my reaction is OTT but there is no point having a care plan if they don’t follow it.

I would also reassure DD that she has your full support to phone for an ambulance herself. A&E would NEVER feel like that was a waste of time.

Jeez asthma can be fatal, if I had someone else's child with me who had taken blue inhaler and was still struggling I'd call an ambulance and I can't believe the school didn't (with my own child I would probably take to a and e myself). This is a very serious safeguarding failure.

Your poor DD and poor you.

As a slight aside, apologies if someone has already said this, is it worth briefing her with what she should do at each point? So it’s ‘call 999 if x rounds of y puffs hasn’t worked’. And ‘if the adult looking after you isn’t cooperating then what to do in that situation.
Shouldn’t be necessary, I know. 🙁

Really appreciate the support, I'll be contacting the school tomorrow. Just checked the school website, apparently I'm not allowed to contact the head initially, I have to go through the year head, does that sound right?

No, this needs to go straight to the head. They mean standard disciplinary-type stuff relating to kids. This is more serious than that.

The other person to contact is the school's safeguarding lead.

aawcmon no. You go straight to the HT with this despite what their policies say.

You need to remember the only person who needs to feel 'in trouble' here is not your DD but the person who left her struggling. Whoever it was sounds like they have little to zero experience with asthma. God forbid, if there is a next time, the next kid might not be so lucky. (for want of a better word!).

jonsnow
God thats appaling. Thankfully we had nothing but great care from ooh drs to paramedics and in hospital with dc.

I meant to add that you are not over reacting.

Contact the Head Teacher and cc the safeguarding lead and Head of Year (HOY) - sometimes they are both.

Hope your daughter is recovering well

You need to remember the only person who needs to feel 'in trouble' here is not your DD but the person who left her struggling.

Nope, the head and the safeguarding lead also. Surely in any school it should be standard procedure that if a child is having an asthma attack then an ambulance is called? I worked in a secondary school several years ago and it was automatic then. Something has gone seriously wrong for this to happen, it may be that one member of staff was negligent (although it's actually 2 because I'd have called reception and asked for ambulance to be called as a teacher, not sent the child with another alone). Or more likely their safeguarding training and procedures are lax, which they would get an automatic OFSTED 4 for.

Also OP does your DD have her own phone? DDs school they're allowed to take them but if they're 'seen' with them then they get detention. I have told DD that if ever she is that ill I dont care how scared she is of getting that detention, she texts me and I will know she is really poorly. She's a 'good kid' and always loves school so I know when she's telling me she wants to come home its bad. So far shes only ever used it once. She text me with a 'please come and get me' which enabled me to ring the school up and find out what was going on. I went and brought her home.

I think as well with the young kids they're that scared of getting the rules wrong they'll often not want to make a fuss, even more so when you're just trying to concentrate on being able to breathe.

Do also check her compliance with her Clenil (teenagers comply very poorly, obviously that's a generalisation) and also check it's not faulty or empty and if it's all fine she should have her regimen reviewed.

Very poor of the school but probably also need to focus on why such an attack occurred.

Have a look at Asthma control test http://www.cmft.nhs.uk/media/1717505/asthma%20control%20test.pdf

very scary episode for you both.

Nope, the head and the safeguarding lead also. Surely in any school it should be standard procedure that if a child is having an asthma attack then an ambulance is called?

True increasing those should be in trouble too. I was just thinking the OP was saying DD has just started SS so will probably be scared of getting in trouble if some adults are told off too. Rightly so!

In DDs Action plan they are only to ring an ambulance if the ten puffs of inhaler dont work. The ten puffs is effectively the neb they give you in A&E. Different asthmatics have different thresholds.

Some schools are getting very stupid with this attendance rule and making kids 'suck it up'. My niece doesn't have asthma but suffers from chest infections. She had a particular bad one in September, that bad her Maths teacher sent her out the lesson to go to student services and it was expressly stated 'JSWNiece needs to go home'. The bloody attendance officer wouldn't let her leave! Thankfully niece text my sister, who then had to leave work two hours early and physically go and collect her! Imagine if that was an asthmatic child!

Just echoing everyone else in saying you’re doing the right thing. I work in paediatric intensive care, and the condition that worries everyone there the most is asthma.... more so than trauma, meningitis, sepsis etc.

When you’re talking to the school think of pointing out that teenagers at the highest risk of death from asthma, and that the national review into asthma deaths showed 90% of deaths may have been preventable with earlier/ better treatment.

Good luck with this- you sound very sensible so I’m sure you’ll be able to educate them effectively!

It reminds me of DS1's private school. He's got CF related diabetes, which is a bit like T1, they wouldn't allow him snacks in class. DM, who had residency, just went along with it. I didn't know this, and I'm appalled.

I hope your daughter is ok and is feeling better today?

Please contact the school. They sound pretty clueless as to the seriousness of a child struggling to breath, that's alarming!! I'm just glad you were able to get yourself there so quickly, what if you were over an hour away or something?