A terminally ill teenager was left on a hospital corridor trolley for 14 hours before he was rushed to intensive care.
Mark McAvoy’s mum Leanne took him to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s emergency department on the Monday, January 6, after he was struck with severe stomach pain and vomiting.
But the 18-year-old, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy and Scoliosis, was told there were no beds available and placed in the hallway as he writhed around in pain.
The following day, as Mark’s condition deteriorated, he was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer and on Wednesday, he underwent a gruelling eight-hour operation before he was transferred to ICU and placed in an induced coma to help his exhausted body rest from the ordeal.
Leanne, 43, claims medical staff didn’t have the resources to properly care for Mark and believes her son would not be in a coma if he had been treated when he arrived at the hospital.
The mum, from Govan, said: “I had phoned NHS 24 and they advised we should go to hospital, so I took him over in the car. I explained to the reception staff about his other conditions and that his health can deteriorate fast and they said they didn’t have any beds.
“They left him on that trolley in a corridor for 14 hours and his heart rate was racing up and down. I told nurses he had been on end-of-life care for the last two years, but no one seemed to take into account what was happening.
“We sat, and sat and sat, while I kept telling them Mark was getting worse. He was in so much pain at that point.
“I began to panic because I could see we were starting to lose him. I was watching him deteriorate in front of my eyes.
“I eventually ended up having to call get a nurse from the hospice we are supported by to come to the hospital and speak to the staff. But if he had been seen quicker he might not be in a coma now fighting for his life.
Mark remains in a coma as Leanne hit out at the state of the NHS.
It comes after John Swinney announced he has taken direct control of his Government’s response to the crisis-hit service.
The First Minister is chairing weekly health service meetings and also visited an accident and emergency unit in Edinburgh earlier this year to understand the “enormity” of the challenges.
Experts warned the NHS is at breaking point, with demand for care soaring and staffing levels at breaking point. Over 800,000 Scots are on waiting lists and nearly 1700 people waited over twelve hours in A+E over Christmas.
Leanne continued: “The Scottish Government needs to take action and put more funding into the NHS.
“It’s about time John Swinney faced up to this crisis – but I hope he takes real action and doesn’t just hold a bunch of meetings.
“The hospitals don’t have the resources they need and the result is hat my son has been failed, big time.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has apologised to Mark’s family.
A spokesperson said: “As is the case throughout the country, all our services are under considerable pressure, and the arrival of winter has brought additional challenges. While we cannot comment on individual patient cases due to confidentiality, we would like to apologise to Mark and his family for the distress caused by any delay in treatment.”
The Scottish Government also said sorry after the Record raised the incident.
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