Many smaller NHS hospitals have closed their A&E departments in recent years, but where do you take a sick child at the weekend? One North-East father tells what happened after his three-year-old daughter collapsed

WHAT should have been an enjoyable afternoon in the Seaton Carew sunshine turned into something far more distressing for my family at the weekend.

After playing nicely with friends, my three-year-old daughter was suddenly lying on a concrete floor, motionless. Her face was pale, her eyes rolling and she had lost the ability to communicate.

My wife – trained in first aid – and I acted swiftly, like any other parents would have done.

We ran straight for the car to seek proper medical attention, remembering that we could not go to the A&E unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool because it closed last August.

We decided to go straight to the One Life centre, a walk-in centre, in the Park Road area of town, because to drive to A&E at the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton, would have taken 20 minutes more.

This must be a choice Hartlepool parents make every day. We made our decision in the hope that it would lead to a quick end to our daughter’s difficulties.

But instead, it only prolonged our concerns.

From the moment we lifted our little girl off the floor just before 1pm on Saturday, most of the next five-and-a-half hours were spent anxiously waiting.

At the One Life centre, we waited for half an hour to see a nurse. She decided our daughter would be better off being assessed by a doctor, so a trip to North Tees was required after all.

It was also suggested an overnight stay for observation could be required.

Worried now that there might be something seriously wrong with our daughter, we decided to accept the offer of an ambulance so she could be monitored professionally.

Nearly two hours later, one arrived.

At North Tees, a urine sample was taken, there was a further check-up with a nurse and it was back out into the overcrowded A&E waiting room to wait for a doctor.

The nurse told us it would take about two hours, which was reduced by aboutt 20 minutes because of the amount of time we had spent in Hartlepool, and we spent the first 20 minutes without seating because there were so many other people in there.

Eventually our daughter’s name was called.

A 20-minute assessment followed and it was confirmed a water infection and a high temperature was responsible for her passing out.

Thankfully, soon after, we were on our way home.

Whether it was the receptionist, the nurses, the doctor or the paramedics who dealt with us during the course of our stressful day, everyone was friendly and was carrying out their duties professionally.

But our whole experience of the Teesside emergency care system during our five-and-ahalf hour encounter raised more questions than answers. Why is it that there is no longer a place in a town the size of Hartlepool, with a population of 100,000, capable of dealing with such a situation swiftly?

Does everyone always have to wait five-anda- half hours before they learn what is wrong with their daughter?

And why was there overcrowding in a North- East hospital’s A&E waiting room less than a year after a suitable one half an hour’s drive away was closed?

Something doesn’t seem right.

ANDREW SIMPSON, from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Services for seriously ill and injured children changed in 2007 so, from that time, the emergency paediatric service was centralised at the University Hospital of North Tees. I realise, having children of my own, there is always the temptation if you believe them to be ill or injured to take them to an emergency facility yourselves in the belief that this will be the best way to get them treated.

“Can I reiterate to all parents that, if you believe your child is seriously ill or injured, that you phone 999. This will allow the whole of the health team to get your child to the right place first time and also allow trained paramedics to start treatment as soon as they arrive at the scene. Driving while being concerned about the welfare of your child could have serious consequences.

“We are sorry that the family found the A&E department to be very busy. However the department does become very busy, especially at weekends. We do have an area dedicated to meeting the needs of ill and injured children.

“We are pleased that the patient is making a good recovery after her ordeal.”

COMMENT

CHANGES to A&E and urgent care services in the NHS have caused and are clearly still causing confusion.

The NHS periodically sends leaflets to homes telling people about changes to services, and maybe this needs to be done every year, because services are constantly evolving.

Perhaps a guide to NHS emergency and urgent care services in each area should be delivered to every home.

While we regularly hear stories about irresponsible people making 999 calls for no good reason, it is probably worth stressing that if there is any serious concern about someone’s health, it is perfectly alright to dial 999.

By calling 999, callers will be questioned by a trained call-handler and given advice on what is the most appropriate service.

If the above scenario had taken place in County Durham, the family could have called the urgent care helpline 111 and a similar process would have taken place, with a trained assessor giving advice on where the patient should go or be taken.

Unfortunately the Teesside area does not offer the 111 urgent care helpline at present – it is due to go live there early next year.

In the meantime, callers on Teesside can still call NHS Direct on 0845-46-47 for advice on health problems.

Barry Nelson, Health & Education Editor