Ill Millom baby drama sparks on-call doctor appeal
Last updated at 16:48, Wednesday, 20 February 2013
A LENGTHY race to get a poorly baby to hospital has sparked calls for the return of a town’s on-call doctor service.
Councillor Janice Brown, the mayor of Millom, has gained the support of the town council in writing to Millom’s only doctor’s surgery, Waterloo House Surgery, to lobby surgery managers to consider reinstating the after-hours service.
Since the service was dropped a number of years ago, Millom residents have had to use the Cumbria Health On Call Service, formerly Baycall, at Furness General Hospital in Barrow.
Cllr Brown believes the town needs its on-call doctor’s service back, after her nine-month-old granddaughter, Amy Date, was recently taken on the 20-odd mile journey to see the out-of-hours doctor at FGH.
She said: “Amy had a cold on the Friday and on the Saturday she had very shallow breathing, so her parents had to drive her to the hospital, in Barrow. It transpires that she had an upper and lower respiratory problem and, after a second visit, had to be kept in hospital for a few days.
“I don’t want to use the ambulance without good cause. But the on-call doctor said they would ring them back in 40 minutes. That’s a long time when you’ve still got to travel for more than half an hour on top of that, especially with a sick baby. There are plenty of doctors at the Millom practice.
“Not everyone has got the transport to go to Barrow. Or some don’t have an extended family to look after children if they need to go through.
“All we’d need is someone on call of an evening or at a weekend, as it used to be. Or even having a Baycall stationed in Millom. I know it would put a strain on services, and money is tight. But it is people’s lives you’re thinking of.’’
Cllr Brown said recent bad weather and subsequent hazardous driving conditions on the A595 highlighted the need for a service in Millom. She said: “With the state of the roads, and even the recent bad weather, how are we going to get through to Barrow?”
Nobody from Waterloo House Surgery was available for comment as the Evening Mail went to press.
First published at 16:23, Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Well said, about time they did something here, i have lived here for nearly 7 years now and cant believe how much has changed on a negative note not positive. We have a hospital with no doctors, no x-ray department working what is the point. I have a 20 year old daughter and an 8 year old son with autism and things do happen when we need to get to FGH which costs money and time, again well said, catch up millom otherwise people will be moving ok
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It is ridiculous we have to travel to Barrow for appointments out of hours. There is a hospital and a surgery here in town. Not everyone has the means to travel and the roads are treacherous in bad weather
Posted by Sue on 21 February 2013 at 21:01