Sick tot turned away from health centre

RICHARD and Bernadette with Jacob

A MUM was left outraged after her poorly two-year-old was turned away from Oldham’s Walk In Centre — because it was too full.

Bernadette Cartwright (33) and husband Richard (35) from Chadderton, took son Jacob to the service based inside the Integrated Care Centre at 7pm on February 21 after he came out in a full body rash.

But she claims the walk-in centre receptionist turned them away unexamined saying that the service, which shuts every night at 11pm, was full because too many people had already booked in.

Mrs Cartwright said: “I was stunned. The receptionist told me to call the out-of-hours Go To Doc service so we just walked away because we were in shock.

“We rang Go To Doc from inside the centre and, over the phone, a nurse said his rash was viral and to give him Calpol.”

The couple went home and followed the advice for a week until Jacob suddenly deteriorated.

He was taken to the Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Oldham Hospital on February 29 where a doctor diagnosed a throat infection and severe tonsillitis.

The family were told if Jacob had been seen at the walk in centre, the infection would have been spotted and would never have developed into tonsillitis.

Jacob is now recovering after being given penicillin but Mrs Cartwright said the whole experience has left her angry.

She said: “They could have triaged Jacob and dealt with us there and then, but we were turned away with a two-year-old child.

“It could have been meningitis and fatal but no one even asked us what was wrong.

“I’m angry at the Go To Doc nurse on the phone because the A+E doctor said a rash should never be diagnosed over the phone as it hasn’t been seen.

“And I’m angry that people use the centre as a doctors’ surgery instead of what it is meant to be, an out-of-hours centre for urgent medical problems.”

Mrs Cartwright has submitted an official complaint to Go To Doc, who run the Walk In Centre.

She said: “In an ideal world, people who are using the centre as a doctors surgery should be turned away. But my biggest concern is someone else going through the same situation with more severe consequences.

“I dread to think what could have happened to Jacob, the thought is horrendous.”

An investigation into the incident has now been launched by Go To Doc.

David Beckett, chief executive, said: “We expect the investigation to be concluded as soon as possible and we will share the findings with Mrs Cartwright.

“As per our complaints procedure, she will have the opportunity to talk to any member of the organisation if she has any outstanding concerns.”