When will our son come home?

BABY Euan Burke just wants to go home. For the first 19 months of his life, he has seen nothing but hospital wards.

Every day, his parents make a five-and-a-half hour round trip to visit him in Southampton General Hospital.

Yet doctors say he was well enough to be discharged six months ago.

There are no medical reasons why little Euan has to remain in hospital - the problem is that he needs a 24-hour specialist healthcare team to monitor him at home.

Without the care package in place, Euan, who suffers from cardiac and lung problems, is not going anywhere.

The situation is agonising for his parents, who are desperate to take their son home to Fordingbridge.

Mum Ellie Noke, 24, said: "Things have been an absolute nightmare.

"We just want to be able to take him home and have a bit of normality.

"Although we see Euan every day, it is not the same as having him home. We are not spending as long with him as we would like to as so much time is taken up with travelling.

"Last November we were told Euan was well enough to be looked after at home, but we can't do it until the care is in place."

Ellie added: "Euan needs to get home for his own development.

"Everyone has been great but he needs to be in a normal environment. We do not want him to get too used to living in hospitals."

Ellie and partner Chris Burke, 26, gave up their jobs running a pub to devote their time to Euan. Unable to afford to run a car, they now endure endless bus trips to and from Southampton General Hospital.

The trip there, which takes about 90 minutes, involves a bus from Fordingbridge to Ringwood, then a second to Southampton before a third up to the hospital.

Their return journey is worse, involving a bus back to central Southampton, a second to Salisbury - where the couple have to wait an hour - before finally catching a third to Fordingbridge.

Most days the trip back takes about four hours, meaning they don't get home until about 10.30pm - although sometimes they are given lifts by relatives.

From next month the bus trip will be an hour longer due to the Ringwood service changing.

Ellie and Chris say living apart from their first child is breaking their hearts. Every hour they are sat on a bus could be an hour spent playing with their son.

Euan was born at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol.

At the time, Ellie and Chris lived in Trowbridge, where they ran a pub together. Euan underwent an operation when he was just a day old to

correct major complications with his internal organs.

He was also born with two holes in his heart, breathing difficulties, club feet, a deformed thumb, and other health issues.

No one can say what the future holds for Euan, but it is hoped that he will be able to manage without his breathing tube by the age of six.

When he was two months old he was transferred to Salisbury District Hospital, and doctors began talking about him being allowed home.

But Euan's condition deteriorated and he was transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital, where he underwent more surgery.

Last year the tot also had a spell in Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, where he received specialist treatment for breathing difficulties.

Over the past year-and-a-half Ellie and Chris have nearly lost Euan several times.

As well as suffering heart failure, he fell very ill last September after contracting an infection.

In January this year, Euan was transferred to Southampton General Hospital so that he could be nearer home. By then Ellie and Chris had moved to Fordingbridge, where they have the support of family members.

Euan receives round-the-clock care in the hospital's paediatric high dependency unit, where he must remain on hi-tech ventilator equipment 24 hours a day.

He has to be supervised at all times to make sure there are no problems, such as the oxygen supplies or batteries running out.

Amazingly, Euan is a smiley, contented baby, despite all his health problems.

In his short life he has undergone five operations, four of them major.

Ellie said: "He is a very happy baby and hardly ever cries.

"Since he was born it has been extremely stressful. He has given us some scares but it is wonderful he has come on so well.

"We keep thinking he is going to come home but then something else happens. It has been neverending."

The furthest Euan has been from hospital is one trip into Southampton and another to Paulton's Park at Ower.

Typically, Ellie and Chris play with him on the ward, take him down to the hospital canteen at lunchtime and maybe pop outside for some air.

All the time Euan has to be attached to his life-saving breathing equipment, which can be carried on the back of his buggy.

He is fed five times a day with a milk which is syringed into a tube attached to a button on his belly, allowing the liquid to go straight into his stomach.

Euan receives six different medicines a day using the same method.

Ellie and Chris's bid to get their son home is being backed by private healthcare firm Clinovia, which has organised a series of recruitment days next week to help get a team in place.

The Essex-based company has been contracted by New Forest Primary Care Trust (PCT) to provide the care Euan needs at home.

AN URGENT appeal has been launched to find a team of health workers to care for Euan Burke.

Healthcare firm Clinovia will be recruiting at job centres across the south next week, as well as advertising in local newspapers and on radio stations.

A specialist team of nurses and healthcare workers is needed to provide 24-hour care at the family home in Fordingbridge.

Clinovia, which provides tailor-made healthcare services in the community, also needs to recruit more staff for other patients locally.

Anyone interested can pop along to recruitment days taking place at:

The Apollo Hotel, Aldermaston roundabout, Basingstoke on Monday

Southampton and Blandford Forum job centres on Tuesday

Dorchester job centre on Wednesday

Bournemouth job centre on Thursday

Alternatively, ring Clinovia on 01279 456769 for more details.