A BORDON mum was forced to call an ambulance for her baby daughter as she suffered a febrile fit, after being told her she could not have a hospital appointment for another two hours. Amber Jarrett, 27, from Savile Crescent was told by a doctor working for the out-of-hours service Thamesdoc that 18-month-old Lois could not have an appointment at Chase Hospital until 10.30am, despite the initial call being made at 8.20am on Saturday, August 18. "I think it's horrendous that we were expected to wait for so long before being seen. We thought Lois could die- it was terrifying," said Amber. Lois fell ill on Friday afternoon and quickly developed a high temperature, but it was on Saturday that her worried parents called Thamesdoc. Amber told The Herald: "On Saturday morning her hands, feet and lips had all turned blue. Her face and tongue was swollen and she was having trouble breathing." At 9am, Lois' convulsions began. Amber added: "I was desperately reading the medical dictionary, trying to figure out what was wrong when my husband Stuart shouted me to call an ambulance because she was having a fit." As they waited for the emergency ambulance to arrive, Stuart, who is a retained firefighter at Bordon fire station, put Lois in the recovery position and checked her airways. "Thank god Stuart knew what he was doing, she could have stopped breathing at any time. It was so scary, he was shouting 'don't you dare Lois May- don't you dare die'." A spokesman for Hampshire Primary care Trust (PCT) said: "Hampshire PCT understands how important it is for patient to receive the right services at the right time, and take provision of out-of-hours care very seriously." The PCT commissions the out-of-hours medical services from Thamesdoc, a specialist organisation which provides qualified doctors and nurses to see patients outside of normal surgery opening times. The spokesman added: "There is strict guidance about how these services are run, which set out adequate response times. "We would expect Thamesdoc to adhere to the guidance and provide a quality service for patients at all times. "We would be very concerned if a service fell short of the high standards we expect, and if any patients are not satisfied with the service they have received, we encourage them to contact the Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 01256 312313." Lois spent the night in the Royal Surrey Hospital, in Guildford and has since been given a clean bill of health.
