IPSWICH/HADLEIGH: Screaming in pain and unable to move her arm, a 15-month-old tot was sent home from Ipswich Hospital’s emergency department with Calpol despite her having a dislocated elbow, her angry parents claim.

Tulisha Bignell hurt her arm after a playful shove from her older sister Emily, two-and-a-half after bath time on Sunday.

Alarmed at their youngest child’s scream, parents Martin and Sarah, of Aldham Road, Hadleigh, took Tulisha to Ipswich Hospital at around 3.30pm.

Mr Bignell told The Star: “It was the worse scream I have ever heard.

“She was in so much pain and couldn’t seem to move her arm a bit. As soon as we touched her arm she screamed again.”

Once at the hospital, the couple waited around three hours for a doctor to see Tulisha.

Mr Bignell said: “The doctor checked her arm, felt it and everything and told us there was nothing seriously wrong.

“He told us she had probably just jarred it and told us to give her Calpol.

“I did question it because she couldn’t move her arm but he said Calpol for a couple of three days and that if it didn’t get better to take her to the GP.”

Once home the couple realised that something still wasn’t right when they put Tulisha to bed.

“She rolled on to her tummy but couldn’t roll herself back over, she couldn’t use her arm at all and as soon as you touched it she cried.”

Returning to A&E at Ipswich at around 10pm the couple were told they would see a senior doctor because they were returning within 24 hours.

Examining Tulisha’s arm in a similar way to the first doctor, he recognised that she had dislocated her elbow and popped it back into place.

“You could see she felt better straight away,” Mr Bignell, who is off work with a back injury, added.

“I am so angry at how my baby girl was treated, she was in agony.”

The 32-year-old is in the process of writing a formal complaint to the hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman said: “We are very sorry for any distress caused to Tulisha and her family and are glad to hear Tulisha is feeling better.

“Mr Bignell called and spoke to a member of our patient advice and liaison team yesterday to ask the procedure to make a complaint.

“Our colleague was able to advise him and we are now waiting to hear back from the family formally.

We strongly urge them to make the complaint so we can look fully into their concerns and share our findings with them.”

n Tell us your experiences of Ipswich Hospital. Write to health reporter Lizzie Parry at Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail lizzie.parry@archant.co.uk