Mum wins apology after son's death at Bristol Children's Hospital

A GLOUCESTER mum has won an apology after she says her baby son was mistreated by hospital workers in the weeks before his death.

Tiffany White's son Oscar Willcox died in April at nine weeks old from a heart condition, but she believes poor standards at Bristol Children's Hospital did not help.

Miss White, from Claremont Road, said nurses on ward 32 failed to clean up his vomit or change his nappies.

She said they failed to notify her Oscar had been put on a life support machine.

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And Miss White claimed staff told her he was being placed in a high dependency unit, but later discovered there were no free beds.

The 19-year-old and her partner James Willcox, 20, also allege that on one occasion Oscar was not fed because nursing staff went for lunch.

Miss White said: "They filled me with false hopes. I thought he was in the best hands. I only found out he was on life support when I called the hospital the next day. It was a huge shock to us. He fought for nine weeks before giving up, no thanks to the hospital.

"We had to agree to turning his life support off and it was the hardest thing we have done in our lives."

She praised staff at the intensive care unit, but said ward 32 had let her down.

Five months after Oscar's death, Deborah Lee, acting chief executive of University Hospitals Bristol, said sorry.

She said: "We apologise unreservedly for not responding to Oscar Willcox's family as we should have done when they raised their concerns.

"We will ensure that they get a full response and an opportunity to meet with staff.

"We care for some of the sickest children in the region, who come to us for complex procedures and expect the best care. When we provide care that falls short of the standards we have set, we always seek to learn from it."