Mum's nightmare weekend (From Tivyside Advertiser)

Mum's nightmare weekend

9:25am Tuesday 27th March 2007

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A MUM who spent a "nightmare weekend" trying to get doctors to visit her sick child is demanding that health chiefs improve out-of-hours services.

"It is very very scary when you have a sick child and you cannot get help. I had a child with a very high temperature who could not even keep water down and I had to travel miles to him to a doctor," said Gillian Silcox, a widow who lives in Ferwig with her three children.

"I hope a child is not going to have to die before the health authorities look at this," said Mrs Silcox, who has been disabled since a serious road accident two years ago and walks with sticks.

Her son George, aged seven, became ill on Saturday morning last week.

"I saw a doctor that morning at Cardigan Hospital, but by the evening my son was no better and I was extremely worried. I phoned the out of hours service to try to get a doctor but after a lot of talking and phoning back I was told I would have to take him to Glangwili hospital to be seen," explained Mrs Silcox.

"I am lucky in that I drive and I could leave my other two sons with my in-laws in Penparc. So we went."

Mother and son stayed in hospital overnight and came home on the Sunday morning.

"By the time we got back to Penparc he was worse and could not get out of the car. His temperature was sky high. We called the out of hours again. I was told there was no cover for Cardigan area and I would have to go to Llandysul to see a doctor.

"After a lot of talking and phone calls when I explained that someone would have to be there to carry George, as I am disabled and cannot do that, they agreed to send a doctor to see him.

"The whole weekend was a nightmare. Cardigan is too big a place not to have a doctor available. The town deserves better than this. It is very worrying when a child has such a high temperature and cannot keep even water down."

Mrs Silcox says she is lucky to have her late husband's in-laws to help. "And I can drive. But how would someone who doesn't have that support get through that? A single parent with no transport would not have a hope. The system is ridiculous in an area this size. There should be doctors who can come out to sick children, or places we can get to easily."

George has now made a full recovery.

Ceredigion and Mid-Wales NHS Trust is in the process of developing proposals to "reconfigure" the out of hours service.

A spokesman said no comment would be made on individual cases, but that the Trust would welcome correspondence from Mrs Silcox about her experience of the service. "We would encourage her and other patients who have concerns to write to us about any problems they encounter and we will look into it thoroughly," he said.

The current practice is that the south of Ceredigion is covered out of hours either by a doctor in Llandysul or Cardigan.

The out of hours period is from 6.30pm to 8am Monday to Friday; and 8am Saturday to 8am Monday.

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