People have labelled the lack of 24-hour children's A&E cover in parts of the region as "scary".
The ECHO published a story highlighting the problems parents face when their little ones fall ill or are involved in an accident that requires urgent care. Those living in north Merseyside would usually go to Ormskirk Hospital's children's A&E but with the ward closing at 12am and not reopening until the morning, parents are having to make the trip to Alder Hey.
For those who don't drive the trip is difficult and often costly in the early hours. The story of Hayley Thomas and her son Buddy highlights the difficulties of having restricted opening times for an A&E.
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Hayley and her husband Gary rushed to Ormskirk from her home in Skelmersdale with their six-year-old son Buddy who was struggling to breathe. They arrived at the hospital around 1am to find the doors were shut and then were told by a security guard that they would have to drive to Alder Hey for treatment.
She said: “It’s too far away to get to Alder Hey; you can’t ring an ambulance these days and you need to take the kids yourselves.
"I just can’t believe it’s not open – it's not right. I don’t even know how to get to Alder Hey or Wigan hospital. Years ago, when my little girl, Honey, who is now 11, was little there was a walk-in centre next to A&E. But now you’ve got no choice – now they’ve left us with nothing.
“I think they’re using covid as an excuse to close services, and I don’t know why, but it always seems busy to me, so I don’t know why it’s shut. The whole country’s open, why isn’t A&E? You can’t shut A&E because of covid, if that’s what they’ve done, because that’s ridiculous."
Since the story was published this morning, ECHO readers have weighed in with their opinions on the overnight closure. Shaunney Redfern commented: "I took my little boy to Ormskirk A&E last week they were brilliant but advised if he needed to come back, they’d be closed 12am-8am which I thought was weird."
Gary Robbo commented: "Scary to have nowhere remotely close to take yourself or a loved one in a medical emergency."
One woman has shared how she thinks Southport needs a children's A&E alongside the adult's ward due to the town being a "holiday resort". Sarah Bolland wrote: "No children's A&E in Southport now for years which is bad as it's a holiday resort, so we've always gone to Ormskirk. Didn't realise that it closed at night."
In response to the criticism from Hayley Thomas, a spokesperson for Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust said: "The children’s accident and emergency department at Ormskirk hospital began temporarily closing overnight in April 2020. The decision was made because the Trust could not maintain safe and consistent medical cover. It was taken on the advice and recommendation of a team of senior Trust doctors.
"We keep the temporary overnight closure under review. However, the staffing situation has not changed. In the meantime, children's A&E is open seven days a week, 8am to midnight. Parents needing urgent medical advice after midnight should call NHS 111. In an emergency, always call 999. Ambulance patients will be taken directly to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool."
