Trust says sorry to patient turned away from A&E

A distressed patient who witnessed the incident contacted the Star last week to say he had been at the hospital when a father turned up with a very young child in his arms.

“It was about 8.50am and there were three of us waiting outside for the hospital A&E to open at 9,” he explained. “A gentleman and grandparents came up with a child who can only have been about six months old. The top of the child’s eye was cut and blood was pouring out.

“Someone in the hospital opened a window and shouted out that they didn’t open until 9 o’clock. The man took the screaming child back to the car to wait and tried to mop up the blood with a box of tissues.

“We all understood about the opening hours but how could you do that to a child? No-one even opened the door to the father. To speak to him through a window is absolutely ridiculous and people should know about it. It was terrible.”

The Trust has apologised those involved and insisted an investigation would be carried out immediately. “The Trust would like to apologise to the patients concerned and would emphasise that is unacceptable behaviour which will not be tolerated from any staff member,” said a Trust spokesperson. “We will investigate this matter and speak to the staff concerned to ensure this does not happen in the future.

“The Emergency Department opens at 9am when there is an Emergency Department doctor on site to provide treatment, but on this occasion, every effort should have been made to assist this child,” she concluded.

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