DETERMINED parents have levied a string of accusations at medical professionals who turned away their desperately ill baby more than 12 times.

After almost losing baby Poppy, Darlington couple Rachel Gage and Dale Thomas are calling for change and urging parents never to give up if they believe something is wrong with their child.

Shortly after birth, Poppy became seriously ill with a rare disease that could have been detected with a test routinely offered in some areas – but not Darlington.

They have shared their story in a bid to end the ‘postcode lottery’ and to highlight concerns about Darlington Memorial Hospital (DMH) and their GP surgery.

Though Ms Gage was convinced Poppy was jaundiced at birth, doctors did not carry out the blood test that would have picked up biliary atresia, a condition that causes bile ducts to become blocked, leading to irreversible liver damage.

Poppy’s health dramatically declined as several doctors turned away her concerned mother, misdiagnosing the baby with a series of common ailments.

Ms Gage took Poppy to the Clifton Court medical centre in Darlington 12 times and twice to a nearby walk-in centre, leaving feeling dismissed and like an “overprotective first-time mother”.

It was only when the baby was seven weeks old that she was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition, having been taken into hospital struggling to breathe.

Mr Thomas said: “If it wasn’t for Rachel going back and back I don’t know what would have happened – I believed they were the experts and listened to the doctors.”

Ms Gage said: “We want to change the system so other babies are not missed - in other regions, the blood test is done routinely at two-weeks and we want that to happen in Darlington.

“If this condition’s not caught by eight-weeks, it becomes very serious – it would have been end stage liver failure.

“I kept going back because I worry a lot and I’d say to others you know your baby best, keep pushing if something’s not right – if someone’s not listening, go to someone else.”

While at DMH, her parents say Poppy was subjected to “awful” conditions that could have further endangered her life.

The couple said staff frequently failed to wash their hands, did not change bedding regularly and did not keep the ward clean.

In one incident, they found their tiny daughter lying in a pool of heated water after a special bed burst.

They claim nurses were regularly rude and dismissive of their concerns and reacted to the incident by saying the water couldn’t have scalded Poppy as it was ‘just 37 degrees’.

A spokesman for the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust said: “As recommended by NICE guidelines, we carry out a blood test if a baby shows signs of jaundice.

“We cannot discuss details of an individual patient’s care, but would ask the family to raise any concerns with our patient experience team as a first step.”

After undergoing a recent operation, Poppy is currently making good progress.