Hospital investigating after mom claims staff ignored ill baby

Pictures show 10-month-old Dolcie-Rae suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease at Basildon Hospital.  (SWNS)

A mom claims she was forced to wait 24 hours in the emergency room while her 10-month-old baby was suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease.

Chelsea Clarke, 21, said she was treated poorly by members of staff after she took her baby, Dolcie-Rae, to the hospital with an extremely high temperature.

The mother of one said her daughter developed a rash that covered her whole body while in the waiting room at Basildon Hospital on Nov. 24.

"She had a rash on every part of her body. She had a rash in her ears and eyes," Clarke, of Laindon, said.

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The young mother was told her daughter had hand, foot and mouth disease and was sent home that night with medicine.

Clarke took her daughter back to the hospital at around 6 p.m. the following day after Dolcie-Rae showed no sign of improvement.

"We were in the main [ER] outside the X-ray because she was contagious," she said. “Dolcie had not drunk anything or eaten all day. She didn’t have any wet nappies and they didn’t seem concerned."

Dolcie-Rae's mother claims they were left by staff waiting for 24 hours as the rash spread on her daughter's body.  (SWNS)

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 room.

Clarke and her daughter were waiting in the emergency room overnight before her daughter was taken to Puffin Ward at around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 26.

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"I really don’t think that letting a mom wait with a baby less than a year old for so many hours overnight is acceptable," Clarke said.

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

"The hospital apologized but it should have come from them," Clarke said. "It should have come from the nurses."

Doclie-Rae has since been released to recover at home. (SWNS)

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

The hospital also apologized to Miss Clarke for her experience, which was caused by a busy ER.

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

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.