Mum’s anger at toddler’s lengthy wait for treatment
A TWO-YEAR-OLD was left unable to eat solid food for three days due to delays in getting him treated at a Derby hospital.
Charlotte Astle’s son Bradley sustained a badly-cut lip after an accident at a play park on Sussex Circus Park in Chaddesden at lunchtime on Tuesday, November 9.
But after being told an ambulance would take two hours to arrive, the mum-of-two drove Bradley to the Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Derby Hospital and was told the injury would require surgery and to come back the next day.
Despite staff being “lovely”, what followed was a series of delays and long waits as Bradley required two operations to fix the issue, after Charlotte claimed stitches from the first procedure fell out within 24 hours.
Charlotte, 26, said: “I thought a two-hour wait was pretty disgusting for a two-year-old, so I took him myself. There was no way I was waiting for two hours.”
After arriving back at the Royal Derby Hospital at 7.30am on Wednesday, November 10, the pair were left waiting until 2pm at the Sunflower Ward, only for the stitches from the first operation to fall out within a day. They returned at 2pm on Thursday, November 11, with Bradley struggling to stay awake as he and his mum were left waiting until 7pm as staff tried to fit him into a surgery slot.
During that time Bradley was listed as “nil-by-mouth” in the hope that surgery could be performed that evening. They went home again before returning at 7.30am on Friday, November 12, but did not go home until around 4pm following a second, successful procedure.
Bradley is now on the mend but is only allowed soft foods.
Charlotte, who had to take three days away from her job as a care assistant to look after her son, said: “I feel better now as the stitches have stayed in for longer than 24 hours. Bradley seems OK but he has been waking up in the night, but that’s because the stitches hurt so I have been giving him medicine.
“I was sad at first. I have rung 111 before, when Bradley had a high temperature, and they have sent an ambulance straight away. But when his mouth is pouring with blood, they didn’t come straight away, so that made me think, ‘what on earth?.’ He is two years old.
“I would like an apology for the long wait, and I feel we should be making children the priority. Covid has been around for a long time, so children should start coming first again.”
The Royal Derby is one of five hospitals managed by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. It has a dedicated Children’s Emergency Department that provides urgent care and assessments for children and young people.
In a statement, a spokesperson said that when a child arrives at the department, they are initially seen by a triage (first assessment) nurse, who is able to assess their illness or injury and then refer them to a specialist clinician within the hospital, such as a
I would like an apology for the long wait, and I feel we should be making children the priority.
Charlotte Astle
maxillofacial (face) specialist or another, more appropriate service.
However, the Children’s Emergency Department at the hospital has seen a 140% increase in demand compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Dr Magnus Harrison, executive medical director at the Royal Derby Hospital, said: “We’re sorry to hear the concerns that Bradley’s family have raised about the care their son received at Royal Derby Hospital.
“We would very much welcome the opportunity to speak to Bradley’s family directly about this, so we have reached out to them to discuss their experiences and what we could have done differently.”
Charlotte confirmed the hospital had contacted her to discuss the incident but decided against meeting them as an apology was sufficient.