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Original poster

Would you have called an ambulance?

22 replies

noche · 19/10/2007 21:56

My DD(6.5) fell over in the playground on Mon and banged her head. No-one really knows what happened but her friends told the dinner lady that DD had fallen over and was "lying on her back staring at the sky", not crying or moving. She also had blood trickling out of her ear.By the time the dinner lady got to her, she was conscious but disorientated, said she had wet herself when she hadn't and was generally dazed.

School took her to the GP nearby who said she was fine and sent her back to school to wait for me to get there from work to pick her up.I then took her to A&E.

It turns out that she is fine, but the more I think about it, the more I think school should have called an ambulance, or taken her to A&E themselves.

What do you think? Should I say something to school? It's a good school and the headteacher was very concerned but if it had happened in the school where I work and I had been the one dealing with it I would have called 999. But then I'm not a first aider....Any thoughts anyone?

OP posts:

wideload · 19/10/2007 22:01

Hmm, I woul ddefinately have taken her to A&E if she was my dd and it happened in my house, there for I would expect a Head Teacher to be more cautious than me not less.

Saturn74 · 19/10/2007 22:03

I would definitely have taken her to A&E for possible loss of consciousness, and blood tricking from her ear.
So glad she's well now.

allhallows · 19/10/2007 22:07

Of course!

One of dd's classmates (7yrs) got knocked over accidentally & passed out. Big panic. The school called an ambulance, thinking he had fractured his skull or something equally horrible when in fact all he'd done was cut his lip & fainted at the sight of his own blood.

morocco · 19/10/2007 22:11

but she probably saw a doctor quicker than she would in a + e and s/he said she was fine? i would be happy with that, as they also called you to take her home rather than just sending her back into class.

Original poster

noche · 19/10/2007 22:17

That was my first thought Morocco, but then as she got worse rather than better I startted to doubt GP!
But then I would do because I'm a worrier. Also had me in a panic cos DD had head trauma at birth and was in a real state then and I can still barely even think about that time.
I think school did what they thought was right but I'm just wondering if there was even anyone there with any first aid knowledge and if there wasn't why not.
I suppose I could just ask them??

OP posts:

tatt · 19/10/2007 22:23

happened to be at a school when a child fell down some steps. The first aider was pretty sure it was nothing but shock - an ambulance was still called beacuse the child had been unconscious. As she said to me "I'm not taking any risks with someone else's child."

I would have expected an ambulance to be called - what did they say at a&e about you taking her in?

NurseyJo · 19/10/2007 22:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

notnowbernard · 19/10/2007 22:28

Absolutely they should have called an ambulance.

Head injury; bleeding from ear; ?loss of consciousness; incontinent of urine

She should have been monitored at a hospital.

This would have infuriated me, too.

Hope she's ok now.

wideload · 19/10/2007 22:31

Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that a child referred from a school is seen asap at A&E. They always were when I worked A&E.

xXxamyxXx · 19/10/2007 22:38

think they should have called an ambulance

mahonia7 · 20/10/2007 09:38

I would have called an ambulance. The hospital has specialists and could do a CT/MRI scan very quickly.

Also if your daughter had taken a turn for the worse hospital is the safest place not a gp surgery.

Hope she is on the mend

NAB3 · 20/10/2007 09:39

My son fell off the kitchen counter aged 2 and a bit. As soon as the hospital knew he had blood coming from his ear they wanted him brought straight in. It can be a sign of a fractured skull.

The school should have phoned you and an ambulance immediately.

RubberDuck · 20/10/2007 09:44

I would have expected the school to have called an ambulance, it's shocking that they didn't

FloridaKbear · 20/10/2007 09:48

agree, I would expect them to call an ambulance to be on the safe side.

Schools can be so over-cautious about what I would consider trivial things I am surprised they didn't think an amubulance would be necessary.

GreatHauntieWurly · 20/10/2007 09:48

I would have called an ambulance straight away, simple because when I was a dinner lady at ds1 school, a girl fell over while playing, she got up after a few minutes, was sent to first aid where they said she was fine. The following day her parents came in to say they that night she was not right so they took her to the hospital and she had a cracked skull.

bigwombat · 20/10/2007 09:59

A boy at dd's old school hurt his leg during football, but school didn't take much notice and just complained to his Mum that he was crying a lot. Turned out he had broken his leg! Also the school didn't even tell parents when dd and friend had had a head collision - dd's friend had a massive lump on her forehead!
But I think unconsciousness and blood from the ear sounds like a definite A&E visit.

summer111 · 20/10/2007 11:05

It seems odd that the school would take her off premises to the GP and not to A&E - I would definitely discuss it with the Head and ask to see their policy on such matters. It may need updating and school staff need retraining. I'd be very angry.

3littlebats · 20/10/2007 14:44

I am a nurse. I would not have moved her, I would have kept her warm and still and called an ambulance. All the signs point to possible fractured skull/head injury and I would not have risked taking her anywhere.

I think you should check whether the school has trained first aiders, and who trains them.

I used to train first aiders in the work place and was an examiner for the HSE. I find the situation you describe worrying.

lljkk · 20/10/2007 21:23

It doesn't sound like she was ever unconscious (just dazed). So no, I wouldn't think call an ambulence or take her to A&E. Think they were pretty cautious to get a GP, assumably because of the blood in ear (which could have been from a scratch, no?)

magnolia74 · 20/10/2007 21:33

Similar thing happened to my dd4, she fell and hit her head at my mums, went rigid, vacant look, eyes then rolled back and she went slightly blue.
I instantly called an ambulance but by the time they got there she was fine. They said it was more the shock but it is always to err on the sid eof caution and if in doubt always call an ambulance.
I would expect a school to do just that!

DaphneHarvey · 20/10/2007 21:37

Yes, Noche, I think the school should have called an ambulance and if you are unhappy that they did not, then I really think you should write in and let them know. Just so they might take falls like this more seriously next time.

My DD had a fall in her playground last summer. We collected her from school, she was asleep on the sofa in the school office (they said she'd had a fall and had a bit of a headache). She came home, threw up, a lot, was dazed and confused on the sofa. It was in the middle of the heatwave and I thought she might have heatstroke from being outside too long, but I was very worried about her. After a couple of hours she managed to convey that she'd run into a wall and didn't remember what happened next! .

So of course we took her straight to A&E, she was admitted and stayed in hospital for 24 hours, vomited many times, was difficult to rouse and didn't make much sense all night. She was on the point of having a brain scan in the morning, when luckily she improved dramatically.

Have always been very very annoyed with myself that I didn't write to the school to let them know about what happened.

littleducks · 20/10/2007 21:45

I do think its a bit odd they took her to a gp, our gp surgery wont see people who arent registered there especially a child without a parent present as they wouldnt be aware of medical history

i think either they should have waited for you to take her to your own gp, or if they felt she needed medical attention prior to you arriving called an ambulance

i wouldnt have called an ambulance for my own child in those circs, especially if i had a car available but i would for somebodies elses child as i wouldnt know their medical history etc.

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