AN Aberdeen nursery is at the centre of a legal investigation after a one-year-old baby broke her leg – just 90 minutes into her first day of care.
Skye Tucker suffered the injury at Little Clouds Nursery in Aberdeen after she fell from a nappy changing table.
Nursery bosses admitted the incident happened due to a “complete lapse in judgement” after a nursery worker left the tot unattended while looking for nappy cream.
It’s feared Skye’s trauma was also worsened as she did not receive medical care until later that evening.
The Care Inspectorate investigated the nursery over the incident and earlier this month upheld five complaints after identifying numerous failings in care and communication.
Little Clouds bosses apologised but now face legal action over the negligence.
A statement from shocked parents Kyle, 39, and Sheena Tucker, 38, said: “Skye seems to now be recovering well so that is the main thing.
“We were shocked to learn the extent of her injuries and how avoidable the whole situation was as not leaving a baby unattended on a high changing table must surely be one of the most basic things to learn in a nursery.
“The fact she was left for most of the day without any real medical attention continues to upset us when we think about the pain she must have endured.
“In fairness to the nursery, we appreciated their quick apology which came with a full explanation of what happened on the day as well as a full outline on the outcome of their investigation – it’s not often a guilty party is so transparent and so quick to hold their hands up, so we do appreciate that.
“The Care Inspectorate findings were welcome but it’s important from a public awareness point of view that parents know the full facts to help make informed decisions about their own childcare.
“Our focus now is making sure our daughter has a full recovery and starting a process to protect other children from the same errors.”
Skye’s fall from the table happened on the morning of Tuesday 7 January this year.
It was her first full day of care after taking part in earlier “settling in” sessions at Little Clouds in the Altens area of Aberdeen – her twin brother Aaron was also in the nursery’s care at the same time.
However at 9:10am – around 90 minutes after being dropped off – her parents were notified via a social media service used by the nursery.
The member of staff stated: “While getting her [Skye’s] nappy changed I turned around to get nappy cream from the cupboard.
“As I done this Skye rolled off the nappy mat causing her to fall. She was sad when this happened but she has [had] lots of cuddles and is absolutely fine.”
The message also stated an ice pack had been administered.
Sadly, her parents were unaware of how serious the incident was and when Skye continued to show signs of discomfort at home they decided to go to A&E.
After an X-ray at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital medics confirmed the one-year-old had in fact suffered an undisplaced proximal tibial fracture to her right leg, as well as a bruise to her face.
Later that evening a senior member of staff from the nursery sent a further message apologising to the family where management said they investigated the incident and admitted a breach in health and safety rules around “constant supervision”.
The communication from management also confirmed the nappy changing station was classed as “high risk equipment” due to its height and the incident happened following a “complete lapse in judgement” from the staff member who was later subject to internal disciplinary action.
The incident sparked a Care Inspectorate review where inspectors identified five failures around the incident including an “incomplete” update to parents.
Skye and Aaron are now receiving day care services with a different care provider.
A Digby Brown spokesman said: “An incident like this is a parent’s worst nightmare – we rightly expect children to receive the best possible care.
“But childcare is not simply an issue of ‘trust’ – there are processes designed to keep children safe and when those are not followed injuries can happen – it’s extremely fortunate that this was not more serious.
“We will continue to support the Tucker family during a civil action to ensure Skye makes a full recovery and care services are improved.”