Mother at centre of NHS hospital controversy says her son has been attacked by trolls

Sarah Williment pictured her son Jack, 4, lying on a pile of coats on the floor of Leeds General Infirmary's paediatric clinical treatment room.

She said the poorly youngster had been rushed to hospital by ambulance with suspected pneumonia and made to wait in A&E for more than eight hours.

And when he was eventually moved to a ward, he endured another five hours on a trolley before a bed was found.

She said the poorly youngster had been rushed to hospital by ambulance with suspected pneumonia and made to wait in A&E for more than eight hours.

But she has been attacked by trolls online who have claimed the photograph was "staged".

A Facebook status claiming to be a message from a "senior nursing sister at Leeds Hospital" makes an unfounded claim that Sarah took the photo of Jack and sent it to media outlets before climbing back onto a trolley.

The status goes on: "He was on a hospital trolley in the paediatric A&E having been seen within 20 minutes.

"I am a nurse myself and am so p*ssed off with fake news, yes the NHS is a mess mainly caused by people misusing it and lack of elderly care.

"Think of the nurses and doctors who are doing their jobs instead of constantly slagging them off.

"Another Momentum propaganda story. Disgraceful."

The allegation has been shared online thousands of times, with many social media users posting claims written in a similar vein.

Ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who has more than 3million followers on Twitter, posted a screenshot of the claim to his account.

He has since deleted the tweet "having done some digging".

The claim the photograph was staged has been refuted by the reporter who broke the story for the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Daniel Sheridan said he was sent the shocking picture of Jack by Sarah, 36, who wanted to highlight the pressure the NHS is under.

He hit back at trolls, tweeting: "I feel the need to clarify a few things about this story after seeing some tweets/accounts doubting the basis of it.

"Sarah contacted the Yorkshire Evening Post following her son's stay at the hospital.

"Due to the nature of the accusations, I requested and gave time for a full response from Leeds General Infirmary.

"Within the response, Dr Yvette Oade, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, confirmed Jack and his family had been given a full apology.

"This was in no way staged, and highlights the need to check all accusations to avoid any miscommunication."

Julian Hartley, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, apologised to Sarah personally for the ordeal.

Dr Yvette Oade, chief medical officer at the Trust, said the paediatric emergency department experienced its busiest week in three years and the demand for beds meant Jack had to wait in the unit until one became available.

She said: "Our hospitals are extremely busy at the moment and we are very sorry that Jack's family had a long wait in our Emergency Department.

"Our Chief Executive Julian Hartley has spoken to Jack's mum and offered a personal apology.

"We have seen a significant increase in the number of people visiting our Paediatric Emergency Department, and this week we saw the highest attendances we have seen since April 2016.

"Despite this, our staff are working tirelessly to provide the best possible care under these extreme pressures.

"Jack was quickly assessed upon arrival and seen in two different clinical treatment rooms in the Paediatric Emergency Department.

"Within four hours a decision was made to admit Jack to our Children's Assessment and Treatment (CAT) Unit for further monitoring overnight.

"Unfortunately, the unit was also experiencing exceptionally high levels of demand which meant that Jack was required to wait in the clinical treatment room in the Paediatric Emergency

Department until a bed became available.

"Jack was admitted to the CAT Unit later that evening and was discharged home the following morning after a medical review.

"We are extremely sorry that there were only chairs available in the treatment room, and no bed.

"This falls below our usual high standards, and for this we would like to sincerely apologise to Jack and his family.

"We are increasing the bed availability in our Children's Hospital and our Children's Assessment and Treatment Unit will be relocating to a larger area in the new year.

"We are continuing to develop the plans for our new Children's Hospital in Leeds which will be built in 2025."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night (Mon) was heckled by protestors as he visited Leeds General Infirmary.

Demonstrators shouted "shame on you" as he left the hospital, where he said he was "horrified" by the photograph.

He said: "I have three small children myself. I have spent many evenings in A&E. I know what it feels like, I want to make it better.

"It's not good enough and I've apologised. I think the trust have handled it very well. The staff here have been brilliant."

Jack's parents have been contacted for a comment.