A worried mother has alleged that a surgical team at an Irish hospital refused to assess her child, who was later discharged with a cannula still left in his arm.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Paige McGurk from Dungannon in Co Tyrone said she brought her seven-year-old son to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children on Thursday, January 29 after he began experiencing problems with his gastrostomy tube, reports The Mirror.
Her son was born with a bowel obstruction that led to two separate surgeries, both of which were unsuccessful, resulting in him being fitted with a gastrostomy tube. The child, who has a number of complex medical needs, now receives 95 per cent of his food and medication through a PEG tube, which Paige said is essential to keep him alive.
When her son became distressed and began crying as she attempted to feed him, Paige took him to hospital, which she described as the only facility in Northern Ireland equipped to manage such specialised issues. She explained that the hospital’s gastrostomy nurse is normally the first point of contact for problems relating to her son’s tube and specific care needs, reports The Mirror.
Paige said: “We went into the hospital and were told they needed imagery such as X-rays so the surgical team could get an idea of what was happening inside his body”,
“I said to the doctor, my child is still here, he is still in pain, I am not happy to take him home when I can’t give him medications or food. We don’t know what is wrong or what is happening,
“The doctor asked, ‘What do you expect us to do?’ I said to find out what is wrong with my son”, reports The Mirror.
Paige said she and her family reluctantly made the journey home, which took more than an hour, after being refused twice by the surgical team. She explained that she also has an older child with special needs at home and felt she had no choice but to return.
Around half an hour later, Paige said she received a phone call from hospital staff asking her to come back. It was then that she learned a cannula had been left in her son’s arm. She said staff were insistent she return, but she explained that it was not possible that evening, reports The Mirror.
She said: “They told me that if we come back, the surgical team would see us. I told them we were over halfway home and it wasn’t possible to return that day. They rung back when I got home and again asked me if we could return so that they could remove the cannula”,
“The medical doctor then took blood, did urine tests and after about six hours we were told everything is clear, we can go home. The surgical team who specialises in this refused to see him”, reports The Mirror.
Paige said her son was able to take some feeds but had still not been properly fed 24 hours after leaving hospital. She then obtained the email address of the chief executive of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and contacted her directly. Following this, staff arranged for Paige to bring her son back to hospital on Saturday, where the issue with his feeding tube was resolved.
Belfast Live contacted the Belfast HSC Trust for comment, including questions surrounding the incident and how the cannula remained in the child’s arm, reports The Mirror.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “The Children’s Hospital Emergency Medical Team and Gastrostomy staff reviewed the child’s condition on January 29, and based on the clinical assessment undertaken, it was decided that input from the surgical team was not required. The Gastroenterology team could not complete another planned assessment that day as the family had gone home. The following day the child was reviewed by a Paediatric Emergency Department Consultant and Paediatric Consultant Surgeon. There were no acute surgical issues identified, however, a treatment plan for the patient was agreed with Ms McGurk and his medication was increased. Belfast Trust acknowledges that there was a gap in communication between clinical teams and we apologise for any stress caused to the patient and his family. We have been in contact with Ms McGurk and she and her son are attending another appointment on February 4, at the Programme Treatment Unit”, reports The Mirror.
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