Would you have taken to A & E?

[Neolara]

My 11yo ran into something at full pelt on the school run this morning at and ended up with an enormous bump on his head and a gushing wound just above his eye. It looked like it might need to be either stitched or glued. Having never had to deal with wounds before (bizzare I know - 3 kids and no previous bloody carnage), I realised I was unsure where I should take him to get it sorted, so I rang my GP to ask. The receptionist said a nurse would call me back within the next 2 hours. I pushed to speak to someone sooner, but was told this wasn't possible. They suggested I take him into school and get a first aider to look at him. At which point, a gentleman walked past who said he was a first aider and recommended strongly I take him up to A & E. So we went off to hospital and ds was glued back together.

The nurse from the GP surgery did ring me back after about half an hour after my call to the surgery, and it went to voice-mail as we were already in hospital and being seen. We live 5 mins away from the hospital so was quick and easy to get to.

I've just spoken to the nurse this afternoon (she rang back again) and she said that she could have glued or stitched his head together and we hadn't really needed to go to hospital. Which is great for next time. But afterwards I was thinking,....... if your receptionist had told me this when I rang and not said that it might take 2 hours before anyone could even give me a view on what I should do, then I probably would have brought him to the GP surgery. I feel mildly chastised, but I had a child with a bleeding head wound and waiting 2 hours for an initial call back seemed nuts.

So in those circumstances, would you have taken your kid to A & E?

I would 100% have gone straight to A&E.

Head injuries or significant blood loss is always A&E. You did the right thing. Hope your DS is ok.

I would have done exactly the same. With any head injury surely it's better to be over cautious - plus the GP surgery told you nothing, and 2 hours for an advice call out is a long time to wait with a head wound. If you'd not taken him, chances are they'd have told you off for not bringing him sooner to the nurse.

I'd have gone to a and e.

You did the right thing on the information available. If you felt inclined you could write to the practice manager and comment that you felt the receptionist offered poor advice.

I think you made the right decision to go to A&E. If it’s bleeding so much it needs stitches/gluing then ridiculous to wait 2 hours for a call back then possibly even longer to be seen, and for all you knew the GP’s surgery might have only told you to go to A&E anyway. Plus it’s a head injury so wise to have him checked out. Personally I wouldn’t have bothered with calling the GP at all, I would have gone straight to minor injuries/A&E.

I'd have gone to Minor Injuries (or my GP but only because I know, from bitter experience, my GP does gluing of head here's looking at YOU dearest son ) depending on what was nearest but in the absence of a MI unit I would've headed for A&E. A&E here is further away than the nearest Minor Injuries.

Straight to and a and e

Well if she could have glued his head they could have called you back sooner and arranged it!

If you leave it too long then there’s a chance they won’t glue it. You did the right thing

And seriously someone recommended you go back to school and get a firstaider to look at it? WTF... schools are not health centres

Definitely.

I’m a doctor by the way.

A head wound needing closing a perfectly acceptable use of A&E!

Thanks all. At the time it seemed a reasonable thing to do and I'm glad you all agree.

DS is fine. Bit of a headache but proudly showing off the bump on his head and the corresponding bump in the lamppost to all and sundry.