Lanarkshire nursery criticised over rat poison failings
- Published
Katrina Williamson was told her son Aaron had come into contact with rat poison
Parents in North Lanarkshire have had their complaints against a nursery upheld after their toddler ingested rat poison in a play area.
Katrina Williamson and David Adams were not told their son Aaron, 3, had been in contact with the hazardous substance until an hour after the incident.
Aaron needed vitamin K treatment and multiple blood tests.
Firtrees Nursery in Motherwell said it could not comment due to an ongoing investigation.
The incident happened in May this year and was investigated by the Care Inspectorate.
Inspectors found that Aaron was able to access rodent pellets in the nursery's outdoor play area.
Rats had been spotted in the playground on 6 May, and a pest control company attended on 11 May.
Rodent traps were set in the outdoor area and although the area had a makeshift cordon, the investigation found the traps were not secured.
It was concluded Aaron entered the area, unseen by staff, and gained access to a trap.
His mother Katrina told BBC Scotland: "The Care Inspectorate report said another child found Aaron and notified staff who found him with blue pellets in his hands."
The incident occurred between 15:50 and 16:00.
Ms Williamson said that she was not contacted until a hour later when she registered a missed call at 16:52. She called straight back.
By this time Aaron's father David had arrived at the nursery to collect him, unaware of any issues.
Ms Williamson said Aaron's dad was told by a member of staff that Aaron had "had a good day" before making his way out with his son.
"He was past the reception area when he was shouted back by two members of senior staff.
Ms Williamson told BBC Scotland: "They said there had been some wildlife in the garden - rats - and that they had traps put down. The area had been fenced off but Aaron had managed to get to the poison and get it in his hands.
"They had washed and sanitised his hands. But when his dad asked him if he had eaten any, he said 'lots'."
Aaron was able to move inside the blocked off area, unnoticed by staff
The nursery told her the harmful substance was Formula B, which contains anticoagulant, or blood thinner.
Aaron's parents took him to hospital and told medics what he had eaten. By the time he saw a doctor, his parents were told he would have already absorbed the poison. He was sent home after a normal blood test was returned but warned to look for changes.
But Ms Williamson said she was given alarming advice.
"I was terrified, bringing him home and told to watch out for bleeding from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose and nappy and any unusual bruising," she said.
"We didn't want to go to sleep. We stayed up and researched the poison and discovered rat poison might take days to start acting, and that it could be deadly, so I called the hospital at 03:00 and asked for further blood tests and they agreed to do so once 48 hours had passed."
A second blood test indicated that Aaron's blood was thinning. He was taken in for vitamin K treatment by slow intravenous injection.
After the treatment tests showed blood returning to normal but it was not known at the time if he would need more because no one knew how much of the hazardous substance he had ingested.
The family faced a worrying wait.
The watchdog has now published its report, external, upholding four complaints.
It found:
A safe environment was not provided, enabling Aaron to access a hazardous substance.
Aaron's parents and not all staff were timeously informed that Aaron had accessed a hazardous substance.
Medical advice/assistance was not sought by staff following Aaron's contact with the hazardous substance.
The child's parents were not provided with sufficient information about the substance to inform medical professionals.
A fifth complaint that inaccurate information was shared in relation to the incident was not upheld.
Three-year-old Aaron was given Vitamin K treatment and needed multiple blood tests after ingesting rat poison at his nursery
Four requirements were asked of the nursery:
To ensure risk assessments are carried out for any rodent control activity.
To update the accident/incident policy with improved procedures for contacting parents.
To ensure a policy of seeking immediate medical assistance if a child has come in contact with hazardous substances.
For all staff to be aware of any hazardous substances on the premises and how to manage them.
Firtrees, based within Motherwell College in Enterprise Way, opened in 1996 and is part of a group of four nurseries operated by Amol Scotland Ltd.
The 282-place facility runs day care and after school clubs and works in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council.
A spokesman for Firtrees said that due to an ongoing investigations, the nursery was unable to comment on the report.
Aaron's family still fear any health issues as a result of the poison
A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council said: "This was clearly a serious incident. We expect all our early learning and childcare settings including partner nurseries to provide the highest standards of care and support to our children and families.
"We have worked closely with the nursery to develop an action plan and will continue to work with them to ensure that all areas identified are implemented and monitored robustly as a matter of priority."
Aaron was off nursery for three months and is now being reintroduced to a different nursery. He has a medical follow-up this month.
His mother said: "It has been nerve-wracking trusting another nursery and Aaron needed extra support to settle in.
"We are hoping and praying he is fine but we will always have it in the back of our minds that he ate rat poison."