Accident at school

beefcarrot

I'm the designated First Aider at a primary school. In the circumstances described, I don't think I would call an ambulance - I would have called parents or one of the other contacts on our system. It's certainly what I have done in the past in similar circumstances.
It's fairly standard policy to have two members of staf accompany children in a car for child protection reasons which can be a major drain on a school's resources.
I'm sorry to hear about your son's arm and hope it gets better soon.

Mutter_2

SugarSpun :A 2 mins per person, before the next takes over, less if the person is not very fit, is normal in a hospital. But I'm assured it's done by machines now.
35 mins, you poor thing. Hope it was successful.

andyrules

The extent of these injuries are most certainly not obvious - 2 cases I have experienced in school both presented quite 'normal' - no swelling, no bruising and no more tenderness than you would expect after a trauma. Both children suffered fractures, one quite severe and one in 2 arms! In fact, the hospital missed the 2nd fracture and it was picked up on the child's next visit! That child was injured on a school trip and one of the accompanying mums was an experienced A&E nurse! Children with no injury often make much more fuss, so it really is a tough call for untrained staff.

To be realistic, calling for an ambulance with each suspected fracture would not be possible.

To the poster who has a qualification, medical room and designated transport - that just doesn't happen in most state primary schools, so maybe is not really relevant here.

I'm surprised the op has been called in by the school, I've never known it either as a teacher or mum of an injured child.

Zazen999

Whatever the personal feelings on this one:

Surely at the meeting on Monday they will show you their procedures on dealing with accidents and it will be up to the OP to look at them and see whether they were followed, and to suggest potential improvements following the way they felt they were treated, which might include better explanation at the start which could have resulted in another relative being contacted and swifter administration of painkillers.

It will be up to the school to show the OP that the procedures were followed.

bonty44

jpmummy wrote: »

I came on here to ask for advice. I find your reply quite upsetting and sarcastic. Needless to say I don't feel I need any further replies if that is the response I am going to get. Thanks

Sorry, but no sarcasm was intended. All I am saying is that the school should have shown you their policy. And obviously in the school's defense they have limitations as to how to deal with incidents of this nature.

carlislelass

many moons ago my son split his forehead at school, teacher took him for stitches while I was being informed..we were then brought home in her car. As I`m going back about 20yrs no doubt everything has changed.

Hardup_Hester

I'm a first aider & work in a school, if we need to transport a child to hospital two members of staff have to travel with the child. If we phone for an ambulance they will not send one for what is described as 'walking wounded' we may be sent a paramedic, but not always. This is just my experience in my area.

milliebear00001

Hiya

Poor little boy - bet that REALLY hurt! At my school, we will transport children if we have to - usually the first aider (non-teaching staff member) will accompany and a teacher (or ambulance if really serious) will drive. It is though, really difficult to judge the severity of an injury. We had a boy recently who was obviously in pain with an ankle injury. We called his mum who collected him and advised her that he needed to see a doctor (we thought it was a sprain). She let him hobble around on it all weekend before seeing their GP who sent them to A&E - it was broken!! Poor kid.

So, unless it's an obviously serious injury, we would call parents out first and ask them to take the child to hosp. Sounds like in this case, although your son was obviously in pain, his ar wasn't 'obviously' broken and so the school probably did what most schools would do.

Hope he's feeling better now.

mumps

Hi, I hope your son is feeling OK, with four kids I have been through alot of stitching, plastering etc over the years. I hate to worry you but wait till he starts playing rugby! Anyway just thought I would give you my experience on things:
Insurance - people are right about the teachers insurance I used to work in Police admin and remember a teacher getting prosecuted for taking children somewhere in her car, can't remember the exact circumstances but it seemed reasonable for her to do it at the time but officers doing a spot check stopped her and her insurance did not cover business use so this is a valid issue.
2. It can be difficult to make the right call with breaks, my youngest son broke his arm and I calmed him down and took him for his swimming lesson, he did so well that day they moved him up a class. I then dressed him and took him shopping it was only as we walked across the car park with trolley that I tried to hold his hand and he said he needed me to hold the other one as he couldn't move that one. I felt so awful at the hospital but the doctor laughed and said the week before one of his colleagues had made his daughter walk round with a broken leg for three days before he took her in for an x ray.
3. School calling you in for a meeting - I actually think it a really good idea to have a meeting and clear it all up. My daughter was knocked down by a teacher outside school and the school wouldn't engage in any discussion about it. Still annoys me and I wish we could have cleared the air.
4. I was still parked when my daughter was knocked down and went in ambulance with her, she had two fractures in her leg and couldn't move. I am so glad I was able to be with her, she found the journey really distressing and I am sure it would have been worse without me.
I understand how you are feeling, it is horrible and you feel so churned up but try to view it positively. He would probably have waited as long for an ambulance as he did for you and his mom will have been more of a comfort to him than anything else. This is a trying time and if you haven't been through this sort of thing it is hard to understand. I sometimes think I have post traumatic shock as even now, nearly ten years later, I sometimes think of the accident and seeing her flying through the air and the sickening thud as she landed. She never gives it a thought and thinks I am mad. I hope he makes a full recovery and I think he will probably be over it before you are.

SugarSpun

Mutter wrote: »

SugarSpun :A 2 mins per person, before the next takes over, less if the person is not very fit, is normal in a hospital. But I'm assured it's done by machines now.
35 mins, you poor thing. Hope it was successful.

I've no idea, to be honest - we happened upon an accident and didn't know the people, but my friend who was driving couldn't do CPR so she called the ambulance and sat with the other person who'd been in the accident (shocked and unable to keep away from the other woman although she had no idea what she was doing and was just in the way) while I did my thing. The woman was stable enough to be transported in the ambulance once the paramedics had been at her, although I was worried because I'd had to move her head to get at her face and they put her straight into a neck brace.

Hmm. You'd think we'd have heard back for a court case or as insurance witnesses, although we told the paramedics that we'd not seen anything because we arrived right after it happened. I suppose if she had died they'd have contacted us. Thanks for asking that - I feel better for having thought it through

2 minutes is all?! I'd have thought most nurses could manage about 5. It's a strenuous job at the best of times, being a nurse, although having machinery is much better. At least the machines wouldn't feel guilty if it went wrong.