A MUM has criticised the treatment she received at Basildon Hospital while her ten-month-old baby was suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease.

Chelsea Clarke took her daughter Dolcie-Rae to the hospital after she came down with an extremely high temperature and a rash over most of her body.

She claims she was forced to wait in the hospital for more than 24 hours to receive treatment, and says they were poorly treated by some of the nurses in the Puffin Ward.

Basildon Hospital has admitted Miss Clarke suffered a poor experience and the member of staff, who was a temporary agency worker, is no longer working at the hospital.

Miss Clarke, 21, from Laindon, said: “I took Dolcie-Rae back to hospital shortly after 6pm on November 25. We were put in the main A&E outside the X-ray because she was contagious.

“Dolcie had not drunk anything or eaten all day. I told them this when we arrived and told them she didn’t have any wet nappies and they didn’t seem concerned.

“After hours of waiting around 9pm we were seen by a nurse and sent back to wait for the doctor. Hours went by.

“Dolcie still wasn’t drinking, still no wet nappy and still no checks done. I’m fuming by this point.

“We had been kept in this room waiting for so long. We were there the whole night before anything properly happened. I was getting so angry and upset. No one seemed to be that worried about how Dolcie was.

“I really don’t think that letting a mum wait with a baby less than a year old for so many hours overnight is acceptable.”

She claims a nurse also just laughed at her when she said Dolcie had only drunk two ounces of water all day.

Miss Clarke said she was told to go home with her daughter at 2.30am, but refused as she believed her daughter was dehydrated and required further treatment.

She was put in Puffin Ward the next day.

Dolice was discharged on November 27 and is recovering at the family home in Kathleen Ferrier Crescent, Laindon.

Miss Clarke added: “I cannot believe how I was treated by some of the staff. Dolcie is home now and getting better, but we were there for so long and some nurses were incredible rude. We had some lovely nurses at the hospital, but the ones that weren’t helpful let the rest down.”

Hospital apologises to mum

BASILDON Hospital has apologised to the mother after she was forced to wait a long time for her daughter to be treated.

Mum Chelsea Clarke said she was forced to wait for hours overnight before her daughter could be treated for hand, foot and mouth disease.

Miss Clarke also claimed a member of staff was rude to her when she said her daughter was dehydrated from only having two ounces of water in the last 12 hours.

Basildon Hospital has apologised to Miss Clarke for the long wait she experienced, caused by a busy A&E.

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 A&E staff work hard to avoid the long waits this patient and her mum experienced and we have personally apologised to her.”

The hospital also stated that “quick action” was taken to address the complaint against the member of staff, who has since been removed from working at the hospital.