Mum fears her son could die waiting for life changing surgery

The mother of a four-year-old boy with complex needs said she fears he could die waiting for life-changing surgery.

Collette Mullan made the claim to BBC Spotlight as it examined the scale of hospital waiting lists.

Northern Ireland has the worst waiting times in the UK, with more than half a million cases queued for an outpatient or inpatient appointment.

The Department of Health has described current waiting lists as "entirely unacceptable".

Óisín, from County Londonderry, has a number of health conditions including cerebral palsy, and is currently waiting for two procedures.

He is fed with a tube that carries his food through his nose into his stomach, but since it was inserted six months ago, his mum Collette said he has struggled to breathe.

Óisín is now waiting to have the nasogastric tube removed and replaced by a different feeding system which goes directly to his stomach.

Collette said she was told it could be a three-year wait for the procedure.

She is concerned that Óisín's cerebral palsy puts him at a greater risk of complications, saying she had been warned there was a danger he could aspirate.

"He could die. Anything going into his lung really, it could be very dangerous," she said.

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Source: BBC News, 3 October 2023