NHS 111 worker whose baby nearly died of meningitis says she battled doctors who told her it was ‘just a cold’

September 16, 2016

John Grockock was rushed to hospital after he became unresponsive
Doctors dismissed it as a cold but his mother said she ‘knew’ it was serious
She insisted he was taken to a children’s ward and was seen by a specialist
A lumbar puncture revealed he did have meningitis and septicaemia

Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published:
07:13 EST, 16 September 2016

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Updated:
07:58 EST, 16 September 2016

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A horrified mother said her four-week-old son was just ‘minutes from death’ after doctors failed to spot he was suffering with meningitis – and dismissed it as a cold.

Alison Grocock – who works for the controversial NHS 111 helpline – rushed her son John to hospital after he kept falling asleep before becoming completely unresponsive.

She said she ‘knew something was wrong’ when John later gave a high-pitched cry – which can be a warning sign of meningitis in babies.

Baby John Grocock was just four weeks old when he started displaying symptoms of meningitis, such as falling asleep and a high-pitched cry

But, despite immediately making her concerns known to staff at the emergency department, Mrs Grocock and husband Simon, said they waited hours for him to be seen.

The parents, from North Anston, South Yorkshire, said staff at Bassetlaw Hospital, Worksop, told them their son was ‘fine and to take him home’ in November last year.

But they refused to listen and insisted it was something more sinister before tests revealed he actually had meningitis and septicaemia.

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‘I was later told if I had taken John home, he would have died shortly afterwards. He was minutes from death,’ she said.

‘I am so glad I trusted my instinct. One doctor told me John probably had a cold, but I knew there was more to it than that – something was seriously wrong,’ she said.

‘I refused to take John home and was sent to the children’s ward for him to be checked out.’