‘My baby would have died if it wasn’t for A&E staff at hospital’
A MOTHER claims her precious son would have died without the “amazing” care he received from staff at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital’s A&E department.
Leanne Walker, who lived in Tonypandy, Rhondda, took her twoweek-old son Karson Lehane to the Llantrisant emergency unit when he was struggling to breathe on New Year’s Day 2015.
After being seen straight away by A&E staff, Karson took a dramatic turn for the worse and “turned blue” when his oxygen levels dropped.
It was discovered that the tot had severe bronchiolitis and was transferred to John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxfordshire, where he was put in intensive care.
“If I hadn’t got him to the Royal Glam when I did, there’s no way he’d be here today as he deteriorated that quickly,” said mother-of-four Leanne.
“I’m ever so grateful for their quick actions.”
Leanne, who now lives in Cork, Ireland, said Karson was a healthy and happy baby following his birth via c-section on December 18, 2014.
But when he began “sniffling” on New Year’s Eve she decided to get him checked out by doctors as a precaution.
“I took him to the GP who said he was fine, but he just got worse and worse,” she added.
“I thought he might have a bit of trapped wind as he wouldn’t settle, but then my motherly instincts took over.
“I knew deep down something wasn’t right.”
After calling the GP out of hours line, Leanne and husband Derek Lehane were advised to take Karson to A&E.
“It was a clear night [on the roads] so it only took 10/15 minutes to get to the Royal Glamorgan,” she said.
“It was crazy. I got him in there and his oxygen levels just plummeted. He turned blue.”
But Leanne said staff managed to put him on oxygen and diagnose him quickly so his condition could be stable for the trip to Oxford the following morning.
“He had amazing care. They went through everything with me. As a mum I was terrified.
“They warned me the worst could have happened.”
When he arrived at the Oxfordshire hospital, little Karson’s lungs collapsed and he was placed on life support.
But after being given antibiotics and other medication, he made very good progress and was discharged a fortnight after he was first admitted.
“For the first year of his life we still relied heavily on the [Royal Glamorgan] hospital as he was at high-risk of it happening again,” she said.
“But now he’s five, in school and doesn’t have any problems at all. We’re very lucky.”
Leanne is now backing calls to retain a consultant-led, 24-hour A&E department at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.
Chairman of the ‘Campaign to Save Royal Glamorgan Hospital A&E’, Len Arthur, said: “The A&E department at Royal Glamorgan Hospital is an essential part of the NHS service for people in the Rhondda, Cynon, Taf and Ely Valleys.
“Its downgrading would remove the backstop of an NHS service ‘free at the point of need’ for the whole area.”