A FIVE-year-old boy suffered two days of agony after casualty staff failed to spot his arm was broken.

Lynda Green, of Chichester Close, Bicester, took her son Oliver to The Horton Hospital in Banbury after he fell five feet from a climbing frame during the Easter holidays.

Doctors said his right arm was just bruised and sent him home with advice to take regular doses of paracetamol.

But two days later, consultants at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital spotted a fracture and put Oliver's arm in a sling to help it heal.

Mrs Green, 33, who is a practice nurse at Kidlington Health Centre, said: "I'm quite angry to be honest.

"Oliver is only five and I kept saying he doesn't usually make such a fuss, so I knew it was serious.

"I just felt no-one at the Horton was listening to me. If I hadn't taken him to the JR he would've still been walking round with a broken arm, which makes me really cross.

"A less well-informed parent might have thought their child's arm was fine."

St Mary's Primary School pupil Oliver had been playing in Souldern Park when the accident happened on Wednesday, April 11.

Mrs Green said: "He's quite a tough cookie but he was screaming, so I knew something was wrong. I took him to the Horton because it's our closest hospital.

"He was assessed, seen by a doctor and X-rayed, but we were told he was absolutely fine.

"We had a couple of sleepless nights where he was screaming out in pain. His arm started to swell up. It was very painful and he couldn't use it or lift it up.

"By Friday I was quite concerned and phoned my GP.

"He said Oliver may have a fracture and I should take him back to casualty. I didn't want to go to the Horton, so we went to the JR instead.

"As soon as the triage nurse saw his arm she thought it was fractured. The X-ray showed it was broken just below the elbow."

Doctors could not plaster the break, because of its position, so Oliver is now wearing a collar and cuff for four weeks.

Mrs Green said: "I've spoken to the Horton's casualty sister and she just said these things happen. I've also written a letter to the consultant at the Horton.

"I want to draw attention to this problem and get people to realise that sometimes they shouldn't take doctors' opinions for granted. If you're not happy, take your child somewhere else for a second opinion. I also want people at the Horton to realise they're not infallible."

The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which oversees both the Horton and JR, has apologised to the family for the initial error.

A spokesman said: "This has been remedied, however, and has not affected the outcome as the elbow does not require treatment. Oliver's progress will be monitored by our fracture specialists in a week's time."