Does anyone know our rights with regard to our son and advice given by NHS professionals? Our 3yr old son had a problem with his back after falling in the park around Christmas/New Year. We took him to the doctors a couple of times who said it was probably just a strain and gave him painkillers. My wife eventually demanded he went for an x-ray and it turned out he had a suspected collapsed vertebrea and was refered to a specialist at a Children's hospital. We went along and he ordered a couple more x-rays before advising that he didn't feel like there was anything more they could do, the only other thing they could do was an MRI scan which would involve a general aneasthetic so didn't really want to go down that road with a child. He was walking normally and his back was straight and if they proved it was a collapsed vertebrea they wouldn't treat it anyway, just monitor it and let it heal. He sent us away and told us to return in 6 weeks. Since then our son has had no problems with his back at all. When his 6 week appointment came he got a sickness bug so we cancelled and rearranged the appointment. Then last week we got an appointment for an MRI scan - totally out of the blue. We've contacted the speciallist's secretary and she's spoken to him and apparently they have an x-ray review meeting once a fortnight and they decided at this meeting that he should go for an MRI scan. They are insisting that we now go for this scan.
Our problem is that it is now 13 weeks since he had the problem with his back, 8 weeks since he last showed any signs of pain and 9 weeks since the specialist told us there was no point having an MRI scan - indeed 9 weeks since the specialist last saw him. I understand that a collapsed vertebrea would heal itself within 4-6weeks. Obviously i want to do the best for my son, but equally i don't want him to have to have a General and a scan that there is no need for, especially since we haven't been told why he now needs one.
Do the NHS have a legal right to demand he goes for the scan because he's a child, or as his parents, do we have the right to refuse the scan, at the very least until we've had an explanation as to why he is having it? (sorry for the long post - thought the circumstances needed explaining!)
Our problem is that it is now 13 weeks since he had the problem with his back, 8 weeks since he last showed any signs of pain and 9 weeks since the specialist told us there was no point having an MRI scan - indeed 9 weeks since the specialist last saw him. I understand that a collapsed vertebrea would heal itself within 4-6weeks. Obviously i want to do the best for my son, but equally i don't want him to have to have a General and a scan that there is no need for, especially since we haven't been told why he now needs one.
Do the NHS have a legal right to demand he goes for the scan because he's a child, or as his parents, do we have the right to refuse the scan, at the very least until we've had an explanation as to why he is having it? (sorry for the long post - thought the circumstances needed explaining!)