BORDER residents with broken bones are waiting several days to access a fracture clinic, with an eight-year-old Wodonga boy only able to access the service after 11 days.
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St Augustine’s Primary School student Will Brooke broke his arm at the school on March 12 and had a temporary cast placed on the injury at Wod-onga hospital.
Despite his pain, Will was not seen by staff at the fracture clinic at Albury hospital until Monday — a wait of 11 days.
“He was in a bit of pain and was trying to run around with a bandage on,” his mother Jen Brooke said.
“It took more than 10 days to get him in and get his arm in plaster.
“It’s disappointing.”
The clinic is open only one day each week and Albury Wodonga Health said it was reviewing its operating hours and staff, with growing demand for treatment.
Ms Brooke praised the staff at the clinic, but said there were problems with the system.
Jessie Anderson had similar problems when her five-year-old daughter Matilda Smith, also a St Augustine’s student, broke her arm after falling from a set of monkey bars.
She waited five days to attend the clinic after an X-ray was taken and a temporary cast applied at Wodonga hospital.
Ms Anderson said her daughter had the cast taken off and her arm placed in a sling at the clinic.
However, the treatment proved ineffective and Matilda’s arm was placed in a cast by a private physiotherapist.
“It was just a really bad experience,” she said.
“They said it should heal on its own, but after a few days she’d already had two significant falls onto the fracture.
“I respect that they’re busy but they don’t have time to consult with each person.
“With children, you don’t want to muck around with breaks and injuries like that.”
Albury Wodonga Health executive director of clinical and community services Catherine O’Connell said the way the unit operated was being reviewed.
“We’re looking at potentially finding a second day in the week to operate,” she said.
“The resources will limit that.
“Instead of having a full day on Monday, we might have two half days to give people more alternatives.”
Ms O’Connell said she was happy with the treatment provided to patients “on the whole”.
“We do have times where people aren’t happy with the wait,” she said.
“We find there is increased pressure on Monday.”
