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Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Anger as girl sleeps on hospital floor

Shannon McCurdy asleep on hospital floor

The mother of a young girl who had to sleep on a hospital floor while she waited to be seen by a doctor has spoken of her anger over her child's treatment.

Shannon McCurdy, eight, was taken to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald earlier this month, because her parents suspected she had contracted swine flu.

The family were shown into a cubicle in the accident and emergency ward, but the cubicle didn't contain a bed.

When the child complained of tiredness, her mother made a temporary bed out of her own coat as her daughter waited for treatment. The family claim she waited for two hours before she was seen.

"When we were there on the 7th (of November) they said there were no beds to lie on and she actually had to lie on the ground on my coat and she fell asleep for a wee while", her mother Alison McCurdie told UTV.

"I was annoyed because they say that everything is sterilised and it's all clean and tidy to stop more infections but it's just the thought that she had to lie for two hours before a doctor came to see her on a floor on a coat."

Shannon was discharged from the Ulster Hospital on Saturday evening and her parents were told that she had a case of the flu.

Throughout the following week her condition deteriorated, and by Thursday she had to be re-admitted to hospital suffering from swine flu and severe dehydration.

Shannon has a number of underlying health problems, including chronic asthma.

Her mother believes that more should have been done to diagnose her on her first visit to the Ulster hospital.

"It wouldn't bear thinking if when I hadn't gone back on the Thursday and they hadn't swabbed her again. I would hate to think what would have happened with her and it was more frightening because she is my wee bird," she said.

A spokesperson for the Ulster Hospital has said that the 7th of November was a particularly busy period with a new patient being booked in every 4 minutes. The South Eastern Health Trust has also issued a statement regarding the incident.

"The Trust is investigating this matter and if there are any lessons to be learnt, these will be addressed appropriately. The Trust regrets any distress caused to the patient and family and would advise that a robust complaints system is available to address any concerns," it said.

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6 Comments

At 07:30 on 19 November 2009, heather wrote:

totally agree with Ed ,, in this situation the main concern should be the child ,, it all comes down to money way too much spent on admin !!!!! time to get down to the nitty gritty and have people treated with respect when they go to a&e ,, surely this child having to lie on the floor of a cubicle is leaving her open to infection , therefore putting her little life at risk !!!!! a hospital is meant to be a place of safety where people are treated with respect !!! ref outsider!!! dont be so ridiclous !!! who in their right mind would set their child up just to take a pic !!! these things have to and need to be reported ,, if this is the way to do it ,, so be it !!!! time these penpushers realized what the NHS was created for in the first place !!!!!!!

At 17:32 on 18 November 2009, Ed wrote:

You people make me laugh. Martin: If this was one of your own family members I'm sure you wouldn't be singing the same tune. We are talking about an 8 yr old, they done the right thing. The attention wasn't the problem, the lack of a bed was... do try and read before you comment. Outsider... you don't have a mobile phone then? The Ulster has about the worst waiting time for A&E and anytime I have been seen there I would describe the experience as unimpressive/amateur... Not to mention the mis-diagnosis thats now threatening 3 of my limbs...

At 23:55 on 17 November 2009, amanda wrote:

last friday i had take my father who is terminally ill with cancer to ulster hospital a & e we arrived by ambulance and as soon as ambulance men left i was told to push him bk out to waiting area noone came near my father for over 4 hrs dispite him being told by gp to go to a and e and his doctor was oen who called an ambulance and when he was seen they didnt even try and find out cause of the pain he was in they done an xray and said they couldnt see anything offered him 2 co codamol and sent him home my father takes morphine so i dont think the 2 co codamol would have made a diffrence to pain he was in least they could was try to find reason he was in so much pain i find it a disgrace to be treating seriously ill people in this way

At 21:11 on 17 November 2009, Martin wrote:

What did these people expect do they not watch the tv or news, It was made clear right from the start not to go anywhere near a hospital if susspected swine flu was a concern. The doctors and nurses in our hospitald are over worked as it is and after all they are only human so give then a break and follow the instructions that have been given out about swine flu.

At 20:57 on 17 November 2009, Outsider wrote:

Funny taking a camera into hospital.

At 18:13 on 17 November 2009, Outsider wrote:

Strange story ,funny that anyone would take a camera to hospital,also the child had her arm up to ensure they got a good pic..