A NEWPORT boy spent 10 hours “rolling around in agony” with appendicitis in the A&E department at the Royal Gwent Hospital last month.

Joshua Butler-Dallimore, 10, from the Gaer, arrived at the hospital with his mother, Jayne, at 7pm on May 30 with severe stomach pains because of appendicitis.

Mrs Butler-Dallimore said that her son had been referred to the hospital by his GP three weeks previously with similar stomach pains, but doctors did not deem the symptoms serious enough to operate at the time.

Nearly a month later, she said Joshua waited 10 hours before being admitted – including seven hours on a trolley - when he then underwent an emergency operation to have his appendix removed at 2pm on Sunday, May 31.

Mrs Butler-Dallimore said: “At 9pm the lights went off and there was no one around. He was rolling around in agony

“They put him in a little room on a trolley with no blanket or pillow. I had to put my coat over him to keep him warm.

“I had to keep going out to ask what was happening and he had to be seen by a surgeon to be admitted. They just needed to look at his notes from three weeks previously

“It was too late for keyhole surgery and he now has a nasty scar across his stomach.”

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan Health Board said: “We apologise for the delay in treatment experienced by Joshua and his family on Saturday when there was a high demand for emergency care in both Accident and Emergency and in surgery.

“Whilst we cannot comment on the details of individual patient care, when patients are in Accident and Emergency they are continually being monitored and observed and where appropriate pain relief is provided.

“All patients are prioritised according to their clinical priority and the surgical team were in theatre throughout the night operating on emergency cases.

“Also, some conditions can settle under observation and this can avoid the need for surgery. We will contact Joshua’s family to offer to look into any other concerns they have in relation to his care.”