THE family of a seven-year-old boy who was taken to Cessnock Hospital only to be turned away has received an apology.
The boy, Memphis Sharp, who lives with his mother and sister at North Rothbury, was in a bad way when he arrived at Cessnock Hospital's emergency department about 9am on August 26.
He had started to become unwell on the Saturday, two days earlier, when an ambulance visited the home and gave the boy an injection, suggesting he probably had a bad bout of gastro, his mother Ashley Brown said.
However, he became progressively worse and by Monday morning he was barely able to move.
"He was lethargic and he honestly could not move his head, he could not walk, he could not do anything," Ms Brown said.
The boy had been vomiting and was unable to take water, was lethargic, and dehydrated.
But upon arrival, the paramedics and family were told that Cessnock Hospital could not take him, because they do not treat children under ten who arrive by ambulance.
They were told that if the child could walk into the emergency department, they could treat him, but not otherwise.
The child, who was desperately ill, was then taken to Maitland Hospital.
Appendectomy, severe pancreatitis
Ms Brown said his appendix was removed that day, and he was placed on a drip and underwent a series of tests and scans.
Two days later (August 28) his condition worsened. He was put on oxygen and then transferred to John Hunter Hospital because he required nurse-controlled pain management which was not available at Maitland, Ms Brown said.
His lung collapsed, and CT scans revealed he had severe pancreatitis, and he ultimately spent a week and half in hospital.
Ms Brown said on Wednesday (September 25) she received an apology after raising a complaint.
Mistake not the issue, says Mum
She said she was told the paramedics were new ambulance officers travelling in a regional vehicle, and were unaware that Cessnock was not 'coded' to receive patients under ten via ambulance.
But the fault did not lie with the paramedics, Ms Brown said.
"Why isn't our local hospital able to treat a child under ten," she said.
"You expect that if you have a situation, you can go to your local hospital, even if he just needed a bag of fluids and to be stabilised and then be transported at a later time.
"My concern is not only for him. What if something serious happens to a child in this area, and Maitland is 30-40 minutes away. That's critical."
NSW Ambulance confirmed they had apologised to the family, saying the patient should have been transported directly to Maitland Hospital, which provides specialised care for paediatric patients.
"Patient safety is our top priority and the young patient was in the care of paramedics at all times," a spokesperson said.
Matrix fix
"In June 2024, the NSW Government announced a $15.1 million upgrade to the patient allocation matrix system, known as the NSW Health NewGen Matrix, which will strengthen processes used to identify the most appropriate emergency department for patients to be transferred to."
Hunter New England Local Health District acknowledged the concerns raised by the patient's family and also apologised for the distress caused.
"Our facilities across HNELHD are fully networked, and we work with our colleagues in NSW Ambulance to ensure all patients receive care in the most appropriate setting, as close to home as possible," a statement said..
"This can mean patients including surgical or paediatric patients who may require intensive support or acute pain management, may be diverted by ambulance or transferred to a more appropriate hospital within our District that provides specialist or higher levels of care."
