Krish has hurt his ankle playing football and must go to hospital by ambulance. He is given an X-ray and must have a cast on his leg.
The video
Krish: It really hurts.
Paramedic: Your ankle is quite swollen, so we need to get you to the hospital to see if you've broken a bone.
Krish: Will you come with me, mum?
Krish's Mum: Yes, if I'm allowed.
Paramedic: Of course you can.
Krish: Will the lights be flashing and the siren turned on?
Paramedic: Not for our trip, but we can give them a quick go as we set off. Would you like that?
Krish: Yes, please.
Paramedic: We're going to put you in the back of the ambulance and I'll ride along with you, okay?
Krish: Okay.
Krish: Are you a doctor?
Paramedic: I'm called a paramedic. Our job as paramedics is to treat people in an emergency who might be ill or hurt.
Krish: Do you take everyone to hospital?
Paramedic: Only people who really need to go. Sometimes we can treat people where they are without going to hospital.
Nurse John: Well, who do we have here?
Paramedic: This is Krish and his mum. Krish has hurt his ankle playing football. It looks like he might have a broken bone.
Nurse John: Oh dear. Hi Krish, I'm John, an accident and emergency nurse. Let's get you into a cubicle and call a doctor to come and see you.
Paramedic: I'm going to get back to work in the ambulance, good luck Krish.
Krish: Bye.
Nurse John: Can I put a tag on your wrist, Krish?
Krish: What is it?
Nurse John: It has your name and other information on it, so everyone in the hospital knows who you are. Krish, this is Dr Patel, she's going to examine your injury.
Dr Patel: Hi, Krish, I hear you've hurt your ankle playing football. Is it okay if I have a look?
Krish: Ouch!
Dr Patel: Oh yes that does look sore. I think we're going to need to send you for an X-ray.
Krish: What's an X-ray?
Dr Patel: It's a special type of photograph that lets us see the bones inside your leg and foot. We'll be able to see if one of your bones is broken.
Krish: Wow!
Dr Patel: John will take you for the X Ray now and I'll see you afterwards and we'll have a look at the picture together, okay? Well, you have definitely broken a bone in your ankle.
Krish: That's my foot. It looks like a skeleton foot.
Nurse John: Ha, it is. We all have skeletons inside our bodies.
Dr Patel: It is quite a bad break. You're going to need to have an operation to fix the broken bone. We're going to send you up to the children's ward to wait until they're ready for you.
Nurse May: Krish, I'm Nurse May I'm going to tell you a little bit about the operation you're going to have. Take a look at Billy the bear. The surgeon will put the bones back in the right place so they can mend properly and then you'll have a plaster cast put on, just like Billy the bear. This will keep the bones in place while they heal and grow back together.
Krish: How long will the operation take?
Nurse May: Not very long. We pop a little needle in your hand and give you some medicine so you fall asleep. Don't worry, I have some special cream, so you won't feel it. Then when you wake up, it'll all have been done and you'll be back here on the ward with me and the other children.
Krish's Mum: And I'll be with you when you wake up.
Krish: Good. Have they done the operation yet?
Krish's Mum: Ha yes, all finished.
Krish: Wow, I didn't even notice.
Nurse May: You'll be staying on the ward with us for a few days, so we can let your ankle heal and make sure it's safe for you to go home.
Krish: Okay.
Nurse May: And you've woken up just in time for a snack. Now I want to introduce you to Sammy. Sammy is in hospital for her asthma, but she's getting better and she'll be going home in a few days like you.
Sammy: Hi, Krish. Nurse May told me you love football.
Krish: That's how I hurt my ankle. What's Asthma?
Sammy: Sometimes I have problems with my breathing. Maybe we can play football in the park together when we both get better.
Krish: Sounds like a good idea!
1. A trip to hospital
The video starts beside a football pitch, where Krish has injured his ankle while playing. We see him stretchered onto an ambulance, where he talks to the paramedic about his job. They arrive at Accident and Emergency, where Krish meets some doctors who examine him. Krish is given a name tag to go on his wrist. He is sent for an X-ray where it is discovered he has broken his ankle, and so he is sent to the children’s ward to await surgery. While there a nurse explains to him what will happen, using a teddy called Billy the Bear. After his operation, Krish meets Sammy, a fellow patient on the children’s ward who is in hospital for her asthma.
Duration: 4' 09"
Final speech: 'Sounds like a good idea!'
Questions to ask
- How do you think Krish would have felt when he had his accident?
- What about just before his operation?
- How would be have felt afterwards?
- Who looked after him in hospital?
Before and after watching
- Before watching ask the children to share their own experiences of hospitals or other healthcare settings.
- While watching ask the children to pay attention to the people who help Krish. At the end make a note of all the people they can remember who helped Krish get better. Can they think of anyone else who might have helped (eg the people who make the food or clean the wards, the people who make the medicines)?
- Create a hospital role play area so children can explore hospital visits through play. Make name bands that the children can put on their wrists.
- Create ‘X-ray’ pictures of hands, arms, legs etc using tracing paper and black paper. Discuss the names of the name body parts and bones such as skull and ribs.
- Create 'Get Well Soon' cards for Krish or fellow pupils.
