Family concerned over care baby received at Royal Oldham Hospital

James Vaughan is getting stronger at home

The family of five-week-old James Vaughan, who was rushed to the children’s A&E department at The Royal Oldham Hospital, are concerned at the care he received.

The Littleborough based family were taken to hospital via ambulance on 17 October 2015 after James was having trouble with his breathing.

Upon arrival to the hospital, the family were put into the high risk cubical in the middle of the ward.

Lynda Allsager, James’ mum, said: “When we were in the ambulance, my sons O2 level was at 69% so this meant that he needed oxygen.

"When we were put into the room by a nurse, he turned the oxygen off and walked out. As I work in healthcare I have an understanding of good and bad O2 levels. I noticed that his levels were dropping within seconds. As this continued, I shouted three times for someone to help.

"The same nurse who turned the machine off returned and said 'oh I’m not a believer of these machines. Colour is a better indication'. I snapped and told him that he needed the O2 because he was struggling to breath.”

Ms Allsager says that two doctors who came into the room to put a cannula into her son were “arguing” over the procedure and did this in front of her.

She added: “They were both stood in front of me with one doctor putting the cannula in and the other peeling off tape. They then had a full blown argument over where to put the tape to secure it, all whilst my son was becoming distressed.”

Whilst all of this was going on, the family says a doctor and nurses were in the cubical discussing other patient’s conditions and personal details.

What happened next shocked Ms Allsager even more.

She continued: “One of the doctors then made the mistake of not flushing the port extension on the cannula. This meant that there was air in it. Instead of changing it, they taped over the hole to show it couldn’t be used. They didn’t realise that I knew exactly what they had done until I told them I worked in healthcare. They apologised but it’s not good enough for a simple procedure. What if that air had gotten into my son?”

Following this, Ms Allsager was waiting for a portable X-ray machine to be brought to her son. She says that the person responsible for bringing the machine to the A&E department had a “tantrum” about doing this and questioned why the child “could not go upstairs”.

“She had a full on tantrum and was complaining because people in the beds would have to be moved,” said Ms Allsager. “She was having a go at the nursing staff because she wanted my son to go upstairs but at the end of the day, that machine is portable for a reason.”

Ms Allsager says there was only one doctor who made any firm decisions to help her son receive the care that he needed.

The next morning James was anaesthetised and ventilated and transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Ms Allsager added: “The care we received at Manchester Children’s Hospital was outstanding. My son is now getting better thanks to them.

"I think something needs to be done about the level of care given at Oldham for my son. I fear things could have been a lot different.”

Joanne Moore, Divisional Director for Medicine at for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are sorry to hear that Ms Allsager is not pleased following her recent visit with her baby to our A&E department at The Royal Oldham Hospital.

“All comments and complaints about the care and treatment we provide are looked into and taken seriously.

"We pride ourselves on the high standards of care and professionalism of our medics and nursing staff and would like to invite the family to contact us directly if they would like to discuss this matter further.”