THE father of a teenager suffering a brain virus said his son could have died after Health staff failed to spot the problem.

Dorrell Topley, 43, wants the department to apologise after what he described as ‘mistake after mistake’ by hospital staff.

‘Seeing your son that ill and not knowing what was wrong with him because the nurses and doctors couldn’t give you any answers – it was the scariest thing that’s happened to me,’ he said.

Since learning of the complaint, a Health and Social Services’ spokesman has urged Mr Topley to get in touch so the matter can be fully investigated.

Mr Topley’s son Shane, 13, was rushed to accident and emergency on Christmas Day morning.

‘He was making strange noises, his breathing was wrong and he had dilated pupils,’ said Mr Topley. ‘He couldn’t walk – we knew it wasn’t just any common bug.’

Once at A&E, Mr Topley said, his son starting having epileptic-type fits and was examined by a ‘dozen’ nurses and doctors who were baffled by his condition.

A Health spokesman said: ‘We are concerned to learn of this complaint. The department does not comment on individual cases, but obviously wishes to learn of complaints of this nature and will investigate them fully.’

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