A mother enraged by the actions taken after her daughter’s accident while on a family day out wants to warn others about the dangers of first aid not being administered correctly.
Felicity Phillips, 34, and James Phillips, 30, of Walton Park, Milton Keynes, went out for a family day trip to Billington’s Mead Open Farm to celebrate their daughter Imogen’s first birthday.
However, the Phillips’ happy trip out soon turned serious when Imogen was involved in an accident that has left her with a scar on her foot and her parents feeling more could have been done by the first aiders at the venue.
Felicity said: “Whilst at the table, one of the mothers put her cup of coffee with no lid on the table in front of my daughter and within a split second she had grabbed it and it fell onto her legs.
“My husband and I rushed her to the toilets to put cold water on the affected area, but the cold taps had very little pressure so I asked the chef to provide us with some cold iced water. They didn’t provide adequate facilities to deal with the burn.”
A spokesman for Mead Open Farm said: “We were sorry to hear a visitor had contacted you with concerns over their safety. As an attraction, visitor safety is our main priority and we undertake many hours of training to ensure accidents are minimised and when they occur, to ensure they are handled quickly and effectively by qualified first aiders.
“Whilst we cannot go into individual details, they can confirm there was an incident at Mead Open Farm recently where a visitor spilt a hot drink over their child. This unfortunate incident happened at the table where the family sat after it was purchased. First aid was given by two members of the Mead Open Farm team; both qualified first aiders. One had completed their Essential First Aid for all Ages certificate and the other held their First Aid at Work. All details were reported in the accident book.
“Every month Mead Open Farm review the accident book to see what types of accidents occur and if there are any ways in which they can minimise future accidents.
“This quarter, some of the staff will attend a paediatrics First Aid course, as a top--up to the courses they have already been on.”
A spokesman for Central Bedfordshire Council said: “We can confirm that an environmental health officer from the council has visited the premises as a result of an accident reported to them. No further information can be provided at this time as the matter is still being investigated.”