Seriously-ill patient ‘had to wake up sleeping hospital worker for help’

The woman was fighting for her life in hospital after a bad allergic reaction.

A woman who was fighting for her life in hospital after a bad allergic reaction was allegedly forced to wake up health care assistant (HCA) to get some help.

Anita Robertson, 48, from Southport, claimed the male worker was taking a nap after a nurse had gone for a break at Aintree Hospital on September 10 last year.

Mrs Robertson said she believed if she had not got up to splash water on her face, in a bathroom near to where she says the HCA was snoozing, she ‘would have died in that bed.’

She suffers from the rare auto-immune condition mast cell activation syndrome, which means her body can quickly suffer allergic reactions to substances with little warning.

Mrs Robertson was rushed to A&E after suffering symptoms in the Asda store at Switch Island the previous day but was later transferred to the Medical Assessment Unit in a bay alongside other vulnerable patients.

Mrs Robertson, who took pictures of the sleeping man, told the Liverpool Echo: ‘At first I felt sorry for him – I know they are overwhelmed in that hospital, but then I thought “oh my God I can’t believe the only member of staff in this bay is asleep and there are all these people on monitors.”‘

She said when an alarm sounded from by the bed of one of her fellow patients she was relieved to see the HCA get up but he then just turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.

Mrs Robertson’s worry developed into a panic when she started feeling unwell and hives began developing on her skin.

She decided to go to a bathroom within the bay area and use cold water to cool down, but she realised she was in the grip of yet another allergic reaction.

She said: ‘I banged the door, and because I was on a drip the metal frame was banging as well and eventually it woke him up.’

Mrs Robertson claimed the HCA walked over and said ‘what’s happened to you?’

When she asked for help he went to get a nurse and then told her to ‘have patience.’

She described how several nurses arrived and quickly realised the severity of her situation and shouted ‘no her throat is closing over here.’

Mrs Robertson added she began feeling dizzy and ‘seeing stars,’ and the next thing she knew a full crash team were surrounding her giving her adrenaline and antihistamines.

Although she made a full recovery, the incident has left her terrified of going to the hospital.

She added when her husband, Kevin Robertson, contacted the hospital trust to make a complaint it was only treated as an ‘informal complaint.’

The couple eventually received a letter saying the HCA ‘denied being asleep’ but the incident had been ‘appropriately marked on his file.’

Mr Robertson said: ‘I could have been getting a phone call that night to say my wife was dead. We’re talking about patient safety here.’

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which now runs Aintree, said it is re-investigating the incident.

Clare Pratt, director of nursing quality at the trust, added: ‘Our initial response to Mr and Mrs Robertson was not satisfactory and I would like to sincerely apologise for that.

‘We take all safety concerns seriously. On receiving new evidence, we are investigating this matter further.’