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Original poster

Question on a & e visit and health visitors...

25 replies

Nufty19899 · 24/08/2019 18:25

Does anyone know if a baby is taken to a and e not for an accident but for a rash which has been confirmed to be a common one,do they still notify your health visitor?or is that just with accidents ?would the nurse tell me first that they notify the health visitor or is it just done?

OP posts:
ChildminderMum · 24/08/2019 18:27

My health visitor called me after I took my 6 month old to Urgent Care with a rash. Diagnosed as nothing/viral rash. So I think they just inform for any attendance.

Smurf123 · 24/08/2019 18:30

Our health visitor was notified after my son had an accident and fractured his arm and no the nurse didn't tell us she was notifying them.

Hv phoned a few weeks later to see how he was and did say it is just policy and they get notified of all a and e visits and that if there were real concerns we would have been told so at the hospital

Original poster
Nufty19899 · 24/08/2019 20:45

What if you don't have your own health visitor??

OP posts:
Original poster
Nufty19899 · 24/08/2019 20:46

What did they say ? Is it something to worry about ? What if someone had previous ss involvement but not anymore

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 24/08/2019 20:47

You will have an area health visitor.

I've always had a follow up call from mine regardless of the reason for the visit, when we went after a car accident she just wanted to check I was OK. It's not always a child abuse screening thing. It just ensures everything is joined up.

slipperywhensparticus · 24/08/2019 20:48

You are responding to care needs appropriately there shouldn't be an issue even if you have had social services involved previously

BertieBotts · 24/08/2019 20:49

Try not to worry - taking a baby to get a rash checked out is a sign of a vigilant, caring parent rather than a neglectful or abusive one.

Notthisnotthat · 24/08/2019 20:54

We got a follow up phone call when we took our Dd to a&e after she climbed out of her cot and banged her head. HV just asked how she was and if we had taken the sides off the cot. Was a short friendly conversation with one of the team that did her development checks.

slipperywhensparticus · 24/08/2019 21:16

I had a phone call once about my son from the school nurse I told her not to worry ds was never going to try and swig something from a bottle again and we will much more vigilant at great nannies in future she was actually calling about his foot pain (his toe randomly swole up and was very inflamed never did find out why) she hadn't recieved the one about him trying to drink disinfectant yet but she was glad we were taking steps to prevent it and would tick it off when the report came through I was bloody mortified my son spent months on first name basis at the hospital all the reports were appropriate level of care and concern seen phone call to check we were all ok box ticked

Smurf123 · 24/08/2019 23:16

Hv just asked how he was. Was his arm feeling better and had he learnt to get himself off the sofa yet.. While laughing and saying sure we can't wait to get them walking and then they are into everything.. (Ds had just learnt how to climb up on to the sofa and thought diving head first off on to dad who was sat on the floor beside him was the correct way to get down)
It was short and friendly and she finished with saying see you at the routine 2 year old check call or text if you need anything.
I really wouldn't worry about it.

INeedNewShoes · 24/08/2019 23:21

DD has been to A&E for a fall off the bed landing on the back of her head, and, separately, for breathing difficulties.

I also had to take her to the GP after she fell down around 8 stairs. She was unattended (18m) and the GP gave me a bit of a bollocking.

None of these have resulted in HV contact.

I can't see that you would have anything to worry about as long as you are taking care of your DC's needs.

meow1989 · 24/08/2019 23:26

All a and e attendances go to the hv or school nurse as a matter of course. If the child is not a regular attendee (ie: lots of accidents or on the other end of the spectrum; lots of attendances that could have been dealt with by the gp, in which case they may call to signpost to appropriate services such as out of hours), you may not even get a call.

If it's an injury (head injury, trampoline injury, accidental ingestion of something etc) then they will likely call and do a safety spiel and check all is ok.

If it's something suspicious then you would hope the hospital has made safeguarding referrals already, which you would have been informed about in 99.9% of cases.

Taking your child to get checked out for a rash is a perfectly normal and appropriate reaction and previous ss involvement wont change that, try not to worry.

Original poster
Nufty19899 · 25/08/2019 10:31

Thank you for all your advice .I am slightly worrying as I have heard that all children under 5 at a and e get an automatic SS referral,is this true ?

OP posts:
meow1989 · 25/08/2019 10:34

No, not unless there was reason to suspect that the child is at risk... social services simply wouldn't be able to cope with a referral for every child under 5 at a and e and there wouldn't be a justifiable reason to refer for "routine" attendances.

Original poster
Nufty19899 · 25/08/2019 21:01

Meow1989 thanks .do you work in a and e?I mean how do you know for sure

OP posts:
ArnoldBee · 25/08/2019 21:09

My son nearly died when he was 3 months old - he's 7 and I'm still waiting for the hv to contact me. When I attended an appt a few months later I brought it up and she said oh I thought it was just a virus he might have caught.

Sillymcbilly · 26/08/2019 09:22

My DD is 3 now and when she was about 18 months-2 she became really accident prone and I think we ended up in A&E about 4 times. She fell down the stairs, fell off the bed and was limping, she jammed her fingers in the door and needed minor surgery and my DS pushed her and she fell and had a small fracture in her elbow. Only once the HV called and that was when she fell down the stairs which was the first incident.
We’ve had no other phone calls. I was surprised and a bit worried that we would have SS knocking at our door. But nothing came of it.

I asked an A&E doctor friend of mine and she said that SS are more worried with the ones who don’t attend A&E than the ones who do. Especially if the description of the incident matches the injury.

DS has been to hospital a couple of times with illness related things and once for an accident. The accident prompted a quick phone call from the HV but not heard anything about the illness related ones.

I think all visits to a&e, or paeds gets logged on a database but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything will come of it.

LoisLittsLover · 26/08/2019 09:27

A&E definitely do not refer all attendances to Children's Services - i'm a social worker in the team that receives referrals so can base this on up to date knowledge. They will only report a concern, but do automatically share with health visitors/school health so your child's notes are complete

nespressowoo · 26/08/2019 09:29

I'm a HV. We get informed of every A&E attendance for every child on our caseload, doesn't matter what it is.

Kaykay06 · 26/08/2019 09:34

Children’s ward nurse
We have a form re admission which goes to hv/family nurse/school nursing
Not to ‘tell on’ anyone just to let them know re admission and treatment received

Sirzy · 26/08/2019 09:35

Ds has had 50 plus a and e attendances. HV and school nursing team always informed but certainly no SS involvement/action.

peachgreen · 26/08/2019 09:40

We have previous SS involvement (due to my severe PND and psychosis) and we've never had any contact after A&E visits, despite the fact that DD has been 3 times in 18mo!

Original poster
Nufty19899 · 26/08/2019 18:22

Peachgreen was that recent tho?

OP posts:
peachgreen · 26/08/2019 19:06

Yes - she's 18mo, SS were involved when she was about 2mo and her last A&E visit (chest infection) was about six weeks ago.

SinkGirl · 26/08/2019 19:13

Took DT1 to A&E about a month ago as he tripped, smacked his head on piece of wood and cut his eyebrow open. Had to be glued back together. I had no calls from anyone. We have a lot of involvement from HV team and associated paed nurses as both my twins have disabilities. There was definitely no referrals or anything. I believe HV are automatically notified where we live.

There’d be no reason for SS to be concerned about you taking them in for a rash / illness.

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