"Missed diagnosis"

After arriving at the BCH ED with my infant child we were treated very kindly by the staff on what appeared was a busy evening. We were ushered into a consulting room due to having respiratory type Illness which I felt was great. However I found that’s where the good stops.

We asked for a PCR to be done of which we had to repeatedly request as I believe they didn’t want to do one. We then asked for a chest X-ray as we knew our child wasn’t right and this was different to the thousand and one other illnesses they've had previously. I recall we were then told it’s not worth the risk and it’s “Just an ear infection”, despite my child's vital signs being out of a normal range and I believe having multiple signs and symptoms or respiratory distress.

We were then sent on our way feeling not listened to and while everyone was nice we were treated like just another anxious parent. We called to get their PCR results as no one followed up and they had two severe Illnesses. We then had our Gp to get us an X-ray which shows my child's left lung has partially collapsed. All of which we should have been told that night if we were listened to. But instead, it was “just an ear infection” because I feel no one had time to listen to our concerns. I felt we were just another number that night and not treated as a proper patient. It’s sad to think that now rather than drive 2 minutes to my local hospital I would rather drive over an hour to a hospital that seems to actually have the time to investigate and listen when a parent is saying their kids are not well!