"Care received when my daughter broke her arm"

Extremely frustrated, angry and shocked at the level of care.

My young daughter fell off a table and fractured her radius.  My mum who is a nurse was on holiday and I phoned her, sending her pics of the injury. She immediately said it didn't look good and agreed with me to contact the doctor. I called 111 at 18.45 explaining the situation and a doctor called me back at 20.30. The doctor asked me some questions and said she needed to be seen and told me to take her to A/E for a 21.30 paediatric appointment. I duly did so and on arrival the receptionist said  that I shouldn't have been told that, paediatrics is closed. (I stay in Crosshouse and could have been there within a few minutes).  I was told to go to the waiting room.  

For almost the entire 2 hours I was waiting for triage my wee one cried continuously, letting her arm hang down and clearly very distressed with pain. In fact I could hear people discussing my situation saying things like this is terrible, just awful, how can they leave that child like this.  One person came up to me and asked if there was anything they could do to help. Several people left the department and I heard someone say, Ive no chance if they can leave a wean like that.

 At 21.30 I was called for my child to be triaged, and it was this experience that has left me feeling frustrated, angry and shocked. 

I spoke to the nurse saying I had followed all guidelines by calling 111 etc knowing how stretched the NHS is at present, and was given an appointment for 21.30 but had to wait 2 hours for her to be seen, and asked if she shouldn't have been seen sooner. The nurse told me that it didnt work that way and that she had to wait like everyone else, then started telling me about chest pains and much worse injuries that takes priority, and in what I felt was a very patronising manner. I then told the nurse that despite my daughter being in pain or discomfort she wouldn't take medicine orally and had never been able to do so, to which the staff member replied well she'll just need to, because she will be out there for 5/6 hours. (She had scarlet fever a few years back and the GP stopped the antibiotics because of the trauma it caused her having to to take them). 

I looked at her in disbelief at being told that a very distressed, and clearly in severe pain, young child could be expected to wait 6 hours to be seen. I think I said something like You're joking, shes in pain!, to which I was told shes moving it around fine!

I then told the nurse that I had no choice but to complain about this whole scenario to which they asked if I was going to complain about them?

 I then attempted to discuss the implications of a 6 hour wait with a distressed child and asked if I should take her home and return tomorrow. I was told that was up to me what you do, you put the pieces together and make the choice, but she will just have to wait again in the morning like everyone else. 

At this point I was really frustrated, my child was sobbing and  exhausted and I was in a complete dilemma as to whether I should stay or return in the morning. I have no medical experience but remembering that my mother believed from the pics it was likely to be broken and the doctor telling me she needed seen that night, I then said to the nurse that I was frightened that if I took her home, and she has a broken bone she could do further damage to it. In what I felt was a very condescending manner the staff member replied Damage? what damage could she do?

I got up and left.

The next day, a full 16 hours later, my daughter was diagnosed with a fractured radius.

I fully understand that the NHS have huge problems,  I fully understand that long waits in A/E are the norm, and I fully understand that mistakes like getting a paediatric appointment that doesn't exist can happen, but what I will never, EVER, understand is how a very distressed young child (and her mother)  can be treated so condescendingly, with such coldness, and a complete lack of empathy and care, from the caring profession.  

I would like to finish by asking;-

  (a) Would it have been out with the realms of procedure for my child to be given a paediatric pain relieving patch or even an anti-inflammatory gel given that the waiting time was around 6 hours?

(b) Why was my child vital signs not taken and recorded, especially her pulse with what was very clearly an injured arm?