A woman has claimed she was told to "make your own way" to another hospital after her son suffered serious burns.
Three-year-old Aaron Harrison was airlifted to Colchester General Hospital after his pyjamas caught fire. But his mother Lisa was told he had to be taken to Chelmsford.
They then had to wait more than an hour for her brother to collect them. They arrived at the Broomfield Hospital more than six hours after the original 999 call. Aaron then spent nine days undergoing painful operations and skin grafts on his leg.
Ms Harrison, of Seaview Avenue, Little Oakley, was delighted with the treatment Aaron received in the ambulance and at Chelmsford. But she was angry at the attitude of staff at Colchester.
She said: "It's not good enough. The doctor looked at it and said he couldn't deal with it. I was in shock - he said Aaron needed to be transferred to Broomfield and asked 'Can you make your own way?'"
She plans to make an official complaint through Vickie Williams, of the Tendring Health Action Group, to Essex Rivers Trust, which runs Colchester General Hospital.
A spokesman for the Trust said: "When we receive a complaint, we will begin an investigation and aim to get back within 21 working days. Of course, we take all complaints seriously."
Published Wednesday, November 17, 2004
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