A single mother has told how she is being forced to choose between life-saving hospital treatment or caring for her kids. Deborah Wright was diagnosed with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, a serious and potentially fatal infection requiring urgent hospital treatment.
But the 49-year-old, from Carronshore, Falkirk, whose former partner died three years ago, has repeatedly been forced to leave hospital because she has no family support or childcare available for her two young sons, both of whom have autism and additional support needs.
Deborah says Falkirk Council social services failed to provide a suitable emergency placement for her children, despite repeated requests from her, hospital staff, doctors and mental health professionals.
She revealed she feels trapped between her own medical needs and her responsibility as a parent. And Deborah fears the situation could become life-threatening if no solution is found.
View 6 ImagesDeborah Wright says she’s being forced to choose between life saving treatment and her children(Image: Sunday Mail)
She said: “I never imagined I’d be told I needed urgent hospital treatment to save my life, while at the same time being left with no support to care for my children.
“One doctor told me, ‘If you go home and put your head down to sleep, you may never wake up’. My stomach is swollen, I can’t breathe properly, I can barely walk, and I’m still on antibiotics.
“If I don’t get proper treatment, it could kill me. But I can’t go back into hospital knowing my children don’t have safe care. I am the only person who can look after my kids, but I also need treatment to survive. I don’t know how I am supposed to manage both.
“I am terrified I am going to die without treatment, but I can’t go into hospital unless there is somewhere safe for them.”
View 6 ImagesDeborah’s tummy when she was in hospital in April(Image: Collect)
In April, she first became unwell and attended Forth Valley Hospital after developing symptoms. Doctors told her she needed immediate admission for intravenous antibiotics, but she discharged herself in order to collect her children from school.
When she returned home, she received a call urging her to go back to hospital immediately after tests confirmed she had spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
She returned the following day, where she was told she would require several days of inpatient treatment. However, she was again unable to stay because there was no one to care for her sons.
Her 12-year-old son, Conley, has ADHD, autism, a chromosome deletion, sensory issues and pica, while her eight-year-old son, Eldon, is currently awaiting an autism assessment. Deborah has contacted family members, friends and social services in urgent need of support.
View 6 ImagesDeborah and her sons Eldon (L) and Conley(Image: Sunday Mail)
After returning to hospital, she was again forced to leave against medical advice due to childcare issues. She said: “They told me again I had a serious infection and it could kill me if it went untreated.
“I tried everyone I could think of. The response from social services was I had family who could help. But the reality is no one in my family can provide the level of care my children need. Everyone was contacting social services explaining how serious the situation was. But still no meaningful support was provided.”
As her condition worsened, Deborah became so unwell she was taken to hospital by ambulance. She said she was suffering severe pain, confusion and hallucinations as a result of the infection.
It was only when hospital staff on the children’s ward stepped in to care for her sons she was finally able to begin treatment. She added: “At one point I was seeing and feeling things that weren’t there. I knew something was seriously wrong.
View 6 ImagesDeborah’s sons had to stay in hospital with her (Image: Collect)
“My son was asking me if I was okay because he could see I wasn’t well. The staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital were incredible. They treated me with dignity and compassion.”
Because it was late at night and there was no immediate placement for her children, staff arranged for them to remain safely with her in hospital overnight. But she says social services still advised there were no available placements at that time.
After several days in hospital, a placement was eventually offered for her children. However, she says it was far from her home and would have required them to travel by taxi early in the morning, despite their complex needs.
She said: “They kept my kids for four days and then on the fourth day I was told there was a placement. But it was miles away and not suitable for them. By this point it was too little, too late.”
View 6 ImagesDeborah Wright was diagnosed with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.(Image: Sunday Mail)
Doctors have since told her she requires further treatment and potentially long-term care. But Deborah still cannot agree to admission because there is no reliable childcare plan in place.
She said: “My doctor is saying I need to go back into hospital for seven days, maybe even longer. But I still have nowhere for my children to go.”
Meghan Gallacher, Scottish Conservative MSP for Central Scotland and Lothians West, said: “No one should have to endure the difficulties Deborah faced, but it speaks volumes about the SNP’s mismanagement of our NHS and care provision. They should explain why the system failed.”
A spokesperson from Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Where temporary care is required, our Emergency Duty Team will always discuss potential placement options with friends and family in the first instance.
View 6 ImagesForth Valley Royal Hospital.(Image: Daily Record)
“Where placement with loved ones is not possible, we will arrange a temporary placement with the closest available foster family. If temporary care needs can be anticipated in advance, our social work teams can work with families to plan ahead, building early relationships with foster carers to help ensure continuity and familiarity for children.
“Our teams remain committed to working in partnership with families to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children while supporting parents through periods of difficulty or ill health, and will work with families to explore the best available options.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition said: “This is a deeply concerning account. No parent should ever be forced to choose between receiving potentially life-saving medical treatment and ensuring their children are safe and cared for.
“Families raising children with additional support needs already face significant pressures, and statutory services have a responsibility to respond quickly and effectively when a family experiences a crisis.
“Where emergency support is unavailable, the consequences can be severe not only for the parent concerned but also for the children involved.
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“While we cannot comment on the specifics of an individual case, this situation raises important questions about whether families can access the support they need when they need it most.
“It highlights the need for robust emergency planning, sufficient respite provision and a clear commitment that vulnerable children and their families will not be left without support when they need it most.
“We would urge the relevant agencies to review what happened and ensure that no family is left facing such an impossible choice in future.”