Boy, seven, has finger chopped off when he traps it in toilet door

Boy, seven, has finger chopped off when he traps it in school toilet door and staff find severed tip on the floor

• WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
• Rhys Pringles, seven, lost tip of his pinky finger at Harestanes Primary School
• Another pupil was asked to bring him to the school’s office and parent’s called
• His finger was later picked up and put in the fridge as no one was first aid trained
• Furious mother Arlene Stenhouse-don, 36, says it could have been saved 

Parents of a seven-year-old boy who lost part of his pinky finger in a toilet door have slammed his school after it was revealed they had no first aider.

Rhys Pringles lost the tip of his finger, including the nail, when he got it caught in a toilet door at Harestanes Primary School in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire.  

And despite profuse bleeding staff asked another pupil to take him to the office before it was wrapped in a gauze, his father Steve Stenhouse-don says. 

Rhys Pringles lost the tip of his finger, including the nail, when he got it caught in a toilet door at Harestanes Primary School in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire

The 45-year-old was then kept waiting for ten minutes while the tip of his son’s finger was found on the toilet floor and put in tissue in a fridge instead of on ice.

This failure to move quickly to put the finger in ice meant it could not be reattached when his father rushed him to Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, before surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children.

Steve said: ‘I could hear him crying. I then went in and noticed he was chalk white, he was shocked.

Rhys’ furious mum, Arlene Stenhouse-don, 36, says her son’s finger might have been saved had staff been first aid trained

‘They had a stupid gauze wrapped around the side of his fingers. They didn’t even put a plaster on it or put his finger in ice.’

Rhys’ furious mum, Arlene Stenhouse-don, 36, says her son’s finger might have been saved had staff been first aid trained.

Mrs Stenhouse-don, who works as a carer, said: ‘His dad went straight to the school and he was kept waiting for ten minutes until he could see Rhys.

‘We had to ask the school about the severed digit. The teachers had to look for it and found it on the floor in the toilet.

‘We went back to the school and my father, who is a retired policeman, asked if they had put it on ice but they had just wrapped it in tissue and put it in the fridge.

This failure to move quickly to put the finger in ice meant it could not be reattached when his father rushed him to Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, before surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children

‘We are left wondering if the severed part had got to the hospital on time they might have been able to save it.’

Mrs Stenhouse-don says she has since had a meeting with the headteacher and claims she was told no one in the school, which has around 200 children, has first aid knowledge. 

She added: ‘The school say they never noticed Rhys’ finger was severed. I don’t how they can say this.’ 

The accident happened during the lunch period on Monday, April 29.

Arlene added: ‘Rhys ran to a member of staff in the playground after the accident.

Despite losing the entire tip of his pinky finger staff sent him to the office and called his parents instead of an ambulance

‘I was horrified when I found out a P7 pupil was asked to take him to the office. An ambulance should have been called. There must have been blood everywhere.

‘Instead, they sat him down and put a tissue on it. The school then called us.’ 

Depute Chief Executive, Education, People & Business, Ann Davie, said: ‘We are very sorry that this injury occurred and for the distress caused to Rhys and his family.

‘We are currently carrying out an investigation into the circumstances of the accident and the concerns raised by the family and will take the appropriate action once the investigation is complete.’   

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