Devastated parents of a four-month-old boy say they were told to 'calm down' as they begged for him to be moved to another hospital moments before he died. Michael Gallagher was born prematurely at 27 weeks on May 24, along with his twin sister Angel, yet he had developed well in the months that followed and weighed almost 20lb less than five months later.
He was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital in October after struggling with his breathing, and medics found he was suffering with bronchiolitis, just nine days after last being in hospital with the same infection. His parents say there was a 'plan A, B and C' prepared by the medics on shift - with Michael to be moved to the Oxford Road hospitals if his condition worsened.
But his grieving parents Susanna and Jimmy Gallagher say that after staff changeover for the night shift, the plan changed, with Michael kept in while his blood gas levels became increasingly worrying. They recall an on-call consultant being brought in 'for peace of mind' in the early hours of the morning - before moments later, their little boy died.
