A HAMPSHIRE mum who drove her toddler to hospital after he started choking says staff told her she should have been provided with an ambulance.

Jessica Toms says she had to make a 90-minute journey to Southampton after staff at Lymington New Forest Hospital refused to help her three-year-old son Alfie, who had a £1 coin lodged in his windpipe and was struggling to breathe.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Jessica, 23, of Lymington, was at home with Alfie when he started choking.

South Central Ambulance Service advised her to take him to Lymington Hospital, which is only a five-minute drive from her home.

But she says a receptionist told her he would have to go to Southampton General Hospital because Lymington could only deal with minor injuries.

A friend drove Jessica and Alfie to Southampton – but heavy traffic meant it took twice as long as normal.

Today, as health chiefs continued to investigate her complaint, Jessica said staff at the hospital told her that an ambulance should have been sent.

She said: "When we went into A&E they asked me 'why did you drive here?'

Daily Echo:

“A triage nurse checked him over and said she had a feeling the coin was stuck because he was dribbling and because he wasn't shutting his mouth properly.

"Within 15 minutes he was being x-rayed. Doctors told me he had to have surgery, they said they would use a tube and put it down his breathing tube to get it out.

"I filed a complaint to Lymington New Forest Hospital, I was disgusted that they turned us away.

"I think because I was a mum they thought I was over-reacting, but staff at Southampton told me he should of been brought in in an ambulance."

A spokesman for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust said: "We can confirm that we have received a formal complaint about the information given to a family who brought a young boy into the Minor Injuries Unit at Lymington New Forest Hospital.

"We are investigating what happened and are in contact with the boy's family, and have thanked them for their feedback.

"We have also already taken action to ensure the safety of our patients, including extra training and a implementing a number of new procedures and processes.

"We are unable to comment further whilst the investigation is underway."

A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust added: “Following assessment of the nature of the emergency using our established protocols, and in conjunction with input from our Clinical Support Desk, the caller was advised that the nature of the incident required attendance at an emergency treatment centre within one hour.

"The caller was further advised that the nearest, suitable centre was the minor injuries unit at Lymington which was an approximate five minute drive from the caller's home address."