Doncaster mum praises NHS staff who put her mind at ease when her son needed surgery

A Doncaster mum has said she was overwhelmed by the ‘truly outstanding’ care that her six-month-old son received when he needed emergency surgery.
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Lucy Barker, aged 28, from Balby was terrified at the weekend when her son needed to go into hospital for surgery because he had a double hernia in his groin.

Her son Rudy Tinkler is just six months old and suffers from chronic lung disease making an emergency visit to the hospital during Covid-19 a very scary thought for his mother.

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She said: “We rushed him to A and E and within an hour we were seen by a doctor - we were put into a separate corridor and into a cubicle.

Rudy after he was born prematurely.Rudy after he was born prematurely.
Rudy after he was born prematurely.

“I had to go in alone due to the lockdown, I had to leave my partner in the car.”

Lucy says that the NHS staff she encountered in the Sheffield Children’s hospital made her feel at ease.

“We haven’t been leaving the house during the coronavirus and we have been filled with anxiety like a lot of people have,” she continued.

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“The doctor told me that this was one of the safest places to be right now and that made me feel so calm.

Rudy in hospital.Rudy in hospital.
Rudy in hospital.

“Every staff member was wearing extra gear and masks and it was just amazing to see them work so hard at a time like this.”

Lucy was able to bring Rudy home on Monday, April 6 and wants to thank the staff members who cared for her son and put her anxieties at ease.

Lucy said: “We received truly outstanding care - I was surprised that no one seemed scared and that they were just getting on with their jobs.

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“It’s great that people are clapping for NHS staff but I think more needs to be done - without them, Rudy may not be alive.”

Rudy has spent lots of time in hospital during his early years as he was born prematurely.

He and his mother were cared for at the Sheffield Jessops hospital after Lucy underwent an emergency c-section and he needed neonatal care.

She said: “The staff there were amazing - the nurses that looked after Rudy felt more like his aunties.”

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