A Wigan mum has spoken out about her five-year-old son's medical treatment after he was diagnosed with lung damage

Leah Anders, from Hindley, says five-year-old Bertie has had multiple hospital admissions and now has complex needs. But she believes it could have been prevented.

Her son was born prematurely, at 33 weeks gestation, was diagnosed with a heart problem at three days old and spent the first 15 days of his life on the neo-natal unit. He was then discharged, but it was not long before he was back at Wigan Infirmary.

Miss Anders, 25, said: “At nine weeks old he had his first hospital admission. He started coughing, his breathing was very odd, to the point where I took him to hospital myself.”

Bertie was admitted and spent several days in hospital being treated for a viral infection.

His mum said: “Me being a first-time mum, I accepted that. But things got worse gradually.”

Bertie was being taken to hospital every six to eight weeks with breathing issues, with medics saying it was a viral infection each time.

But Miss Anders says her requests for viral screening were turned down.

He was also admitted when he was five months old after “very unusual twitching”. Miss Anders says she was told it was nocturnal seizures and he did not have epilepsy.

On another occasion he went to hospital and had a seizure, which doctors said was temperature related.

Bertie spent 90 minutes at the infirmary again in July 2022, when he tested positive for coronavirus and his mum says she was told he had a viral infection again.

She said: “I begged them to keep him in hospital but they refused and said he was medically fit.

"I had had enough. I agreed to it, but thinking back I wish I hadn’t done.

"I was at home for three hours and I found that my son was paralysed from his neck down. He couldn’t swallow any fluids or do anything at all.

"They sent him home with a temperature of 39.7 and they told him to take paracetamol and ibuprofen. They told me to keep syringing the fluids but he kept spitting them out.

"He had a full-on seizure that lasted four and a half hours and it was so long that it put him into respiratory arrest.

"We phoned the ambulance and the air ambulance was on standby.”

Miss Anders says Bertie’s lips were “blue” when paramedics arrived, due to a lack of oxygen, and he was rushed back to the hospital.

He had a collapsed lung and had to be resuscitated after going into respiratory arrest.

Bertie was transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool for treatment and it was there that tests confirmed he has epilepsy.

Now three years later, a CT scan at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital revealed Bertie has bronchiectasis, which is damage to the airways to his lungs.

Miss Anders, who worked as a healthcare assistant at Wigan Infirmary until August, said: “It could have been avoided if the treatment had started earlier. There’s no cure. He’s in a trial now with IV antibiotics for two weeks every three months. It’s not good for a five-year-old because it affects school, it affects everything.

"I went through a solicitor and they have emailed to say there is evidence of neglect. They are pursuing my case with all the medical records that they have in place.”

She also claims the hospital made a safeguarding request against her due to the number of times she took Bertie there.

According to the NHS, the main symptoms of bronchiectasis are a cough that does not go away, coughing up a lot of phlegm (mucus) and getting frequent chest infections. And the condition has a big impact on young Bertie.

Miss Anders said: “We get good days and bad days. On a good day, he can do his normal things, but we have to carry a disability pram everywhere we go because he gets out of breath easily. On a bad day, he can’t go out.”

She says she needs an oxygen monitor for Bertie, but it will cost hundreds of pounds to buy. Bertie also takes medication for epilepsy.

Miss Anders says she hopes the legal action will get “justice for Bertie” and prevent other families having similar experiences.

She is seeking an apology, along with money to pay for adaptations for their home to meet Bertie’s needs.

She said: “No matter how many apologies I get, it doesn’t change the fact that Bertie’s lungs are damaged and he will suffer for the rest of his life. There is no cure for it.”

A spokesperson for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Wigan Infirmary – said: “

“The experience of our patients is paramount, and we take the views of people who have complaints following their experiences of our services very seriously.

“WWL is aware of the grievance that has been made by the Anders family which will be investigated thoroughly in line with our processes.

"While it is always regrettable that complaints must be made, until the case is resolved, we are unable to comment further on individual cases.”