by Hayley Robinson

An investigation has been launched and a member of staff moved to a new job following a complaint about how a child’s head injury was dealt with.

Swallows leisure centre bosses acted after Suzanna Endacott’s 23-month-old daughter Suzie slipped on the tiles at the side of the baby pool.

While there was no blood, there was a large lump to the back of her head. Her mother took her to the front desk and asked for a first aider.

She claims a young male employee was called over but he didn’t look at the injury.

Instead he went to the cafe and came back with two ice cubes wrapped in a napkin which he handed to her before walking off.

When Mrs Endacott was met by her husband Daniel and their four-year-old son, who had been in the big pool at the time, the couple made the decision to take Suzie to the nearby Memorial Hospital in Bell Road.

The 28-year-old, of Hawthorn Road, Sittingbourne, said: "I am absolutely appalled by the staff at Swallows. Luckily she was OK but you can not be too careful with head injuries.

" I am a dental nurse and have had appropriate first-aid training within my field of work and know the correct procedure and paper work needed when an incident occurs. He never asked any questions about my daughter nor did he offer or provide me an accident form or book to fill in which by law you should do.

"When I went back the following day to complain to the duty manager he said the ice cubes wrapped in tissue was acceptable as they have only one cold compact. He also told me the young man was new to the job but that’s no excuse. All staff should be well trained to deal with any aspects of first aid. I would hate to think what would happen if a major incident was to occur."

The accident happened on July 22 at around 11am.

A spokesman for pool managers Swale Community Leisure Ltd said: "We apologise for how this accident was handled and the distress it has caused Mrs Endacott and her family.

"We are undertaking a thorough investigation as a matter of urgency.

"The member of staff in question has been removed from his role pending the investigation.

"We would like to thank Mrs Endacott for bringing the incident to our attention and reassure her that this is a very unusual occurrence.

"We have sound procedures in place but these were not followed on this occasion and we are investigating why.

"However, as a result, all staff are being reminded of first-aid procedure.

"We would like to reassure all our customers that their safety is paramount.

"All our lifeguards hold a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) which is an industry standard.

"The NPLQ training covers first aid in some detail and is renewed every two years.

"We also ensure our staff undertake a monthly-training session as well as a six-monthly lifeguard exam."