A YOUNG mum claims doctors treated her like “a second-class citizen” when she took her sick baby first to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and then the Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax.

Suzanne Barclay, 19, from Quarmby, is angry at the treatment of her two-month-old daughter Celeste Martin.

“It makes me think twice about taking my child there again. No-one wanted to help us,” she said.

Little Celeste was born eight weeks premature on June 6 at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. She weighed just four pounds 10 ounces.

Celeste spent three weeks in the special care unit before Suzanne and her partner Tony Martin took her home. But the baby became sick a few weeks later on August 7.

Suzanne said: “She started to throw up her food, but we thought it was just a reaction to her eight-week jabs.”

On August 16 Celeste deteriorated.

Suzanne said: “She got a lot worse. She was throwing up her food as soon as she ate it, and it was vomit rather than a trickle.”

Suzanne and Tony took Celeste to the GP out-of-hours service at the HRI at around 10pm.

Suzanne said: “A doctor told us we would have to take her to the paediatric ward in Halifax.”

The family travelled to Calderdale Royal Hospital and spent the night there.

Suzanne said: “A nurse came round at 10am and said she thought Celeste had a bug. She told me the doctor would be round to have a look at her.”

But two hours later there was no sign of a doctor.

Suzanne said: “I asked the nurse where the doctor was. She was shocked that he hadn’t been round and said she would get the registrar.

“But an hour later there was still no sign of him, so I had to go and find him myself.”

Suzanne added: “He didn’t even strip Celeste to examine her. He just put her on the bed and said there was nothing wrong with her.

“He told me to give her some Gaviscon, but he said they didn’t have any. I ended up having to get some from my GP.”

Suzanne feels angry at her treatment.

She said: “They couldn’t give a monkey’s about us. I’ve been treated like a second-class citizen.”

A spokeswoman for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are sorry to hear of the concerns about Calderdale Royal Hospital and if Suzanne wishes to contact us we would be happy to discuss them with her.”