Sarah Cumberland's daughter Aleera, 5, broke two bones in her arm at school last week resulting in a trip to Muswellbrook Hospital.

There Aleera was rapid tested for COVID-19. She was not symptomatic but returned a positive result. The pair were moved into an isolation room, where Ms Cumberland said they waited for two hours.

Ms Cumberland decided to leave and contact Singleton Hospital. She said she informed them of the positive test and they advised her to bring Aleera in.

After an X-ray and a back slab cast, they were booked in to Maitland Hospital the following morning to see a specialist and Aleera fasted in preparation for anesthetic.

Ms Cumberland said she told the Maitland staff about the positive rapid antigen test. The mum spoke with a doctor, who informed her about the procedure to treat the injury.

"I signed a surgery consent form and we took Aleera's earrings out ready to go," Ms Cumberland said.

But she said a staff member then pointed out Aleera's positive RAT result.

"I said 'yeah, I told them that when we got here, and it should be on the information from Singleton and Muswellbrook. She said 'we didn't know'."

IN THE NEWS:

Ms Cumberland said she was then told they couldn't perform the procedure, and to go home, give Aleera Panadol and wait seven days.

"She's five years old," Ms Cumberland said. "She was very, very distressed. She didn't sleep the night she did it because she was in pain and they wanted us to wait another week."

So Ms Cumberland took matters into her own hands, and called John Hunter Hospital from the car park at Maitland. Aleera was admitted to John Hunter and received a wrist closed reduction to reset the broken bones later that day.

"She was 1000 times better afterwards," Ms Cumberland said.

But the situation has left a sour taste for Ms Cumberland over the lack of communication between hospitals and that Aleera could have suffered for another week if she didn't call John Hunter.

"The people that are meant to help you are literally turning away a child," she said "There's nothing you can do about it. I can't fix her arm.

"I'm not that mad about Muswellbrook - if you live up here you know what it's like. They don't have the resources or the facilities or the doctors so you know what you're going to get there, but I'm mad about Maitland. It wasn't like we rocked up there on the surprise. It was all scheduled and booked in the night before.

"But COVID should have nothing to do with it anyway. I can't believe they turned away a five year old with a broken anything.

"It wasn't 'we'll refer you to The John' - we would have driven down to Sydney if we had to - it was just 'go home for a week'."

Hunter New England Health Greater Metropolitan Health Services executive director Karen Kelly said the service had contacted the family of the patient to apologise for their experience and discuss their concerns.

"We are pleased the surgery went well and the patient is now recovering from their injury," she said.

"Every patient who presents to our facilities is clinically assessed and treatment options are considered based on the information available to the treating team.

"This assessment includes balancing the seriousness and urgency of the presentation with the risk associated with COVID-19, particularly if surgery is required.

"We apologise that all treatment options being considered were not fully discussed with the patient's family at the time."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: