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'24 hours in emergency': Mum's fury after nurse 'laughs at sick baby'

A young mother says she was forced to wait 24 hours in a hospital emergency room while her 10-month-old baby was suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease.

Chelsea Clarke, 21, said she was treated poorly and even laughed at by members of staff at Basildon Hospital in Essex in the UK after she took her baby Dolcie-Rae to hospital with an extremely high temperature last month.

“She had a rash on every part of her body. She had a rash in her ears and eyes,” the mother of one said, revealing she was sent home that night with medicine.

Miss Clarke took her daughter back to emergency at around 6pm the following day after Dolcie-Rae showed no sign of improvement.

“We were in the main A&E outside the X-ray because she was contagious,” she said.

Dolcie-Rae was suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease at Basildon Hospital. Image: SWNS
Dolcie-Rae was suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease at Basildon Hospital. Image: SWNS

“Dolcie had not drunk anything or eaten all day. She didn’t have any wet nappies and they didn’t seem concerned.”

Miss Clarke also claims a nurse laughed when she told her Dolcie had only drank two ounces of water that day.

The mother said she was disgusted by the way she was treated by staff in the emergency ward.

Miss Clarke and her daughter were waiting in emergency overnight before her daughter was taken to Puffin Ward at around 2.30pm on November 26.

“I really don’t think that letting a mum wait with a baby less than a year old for so many hours overnight is acceptable,” she said.

Dolcie-Rae stayed on the ward overnight and was discharged on November 27 and is now recovering at home.

The 21-year-old mother said her baby broke out in a rash but the medical staff at Basildon hospital didn’t care. Image: SWNSW
The 21-year-old mother said her baby broke out in a rash but the medical staff at Basildon hospital didn’t care. Image: SWNSW

“The hospital apologised but it should not have come from them. It should have come from the nurses,” she added.

Basildon Hospital has admitted Miss Clarke had a poor experience and the member of staff is being investigated.

The hospital also apologised to Miss Clarke for her experience, which was caused by a busy A&E.

“We are committed to providing our patients with high quality care and when we experience exceptionally high attendances to A&E, staff work hard to avoid the long waits this patient and her mum experienced and we have personally apologised to her,” Dawn Patience, director of nursing at Basildon Hospital, said.

The hospital also stated that “quick action” was taken to address the complaint against the member of staff, who has since been moved to a different ward.

With SWNS