A six-year-old boy ended up on a life-support machine after he was sent away from Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.
Iwan Thomas was seen at the hospital in Ystrad Mynach on June 9 after a cough had developed into breathing difficulties.
His mother Donna explained: “As we were waiting at the emergency centre I noticed he was struggling to breathe.
“When we were called I told the nurse he was struggling but the first thing she said to us was that ‘we are not a GP’. She said I could give him Calpol and if it got worse to see our GP.
“I drove to the doctors and said he wasn’t right and played up a bit to make sure he was seen.
“The doctor said he needed to go straight to hospital, so rather than wait for an ambulance I took him to the Royal Gwent in Newport.”
While at the Gwent, Iwan went into peri-arrest showing signs of bradycardia and hypertension.
Once stable he was transferred to University Hospital Wales in Cardiff on life support.
The little boy has since made a recovery and has been diagnosed with asthma. This, together with a chest infection and hayfever, saw Iwan’s condition deteriorate.
Donna, a 42-year-old care assistant from Pontllanfraith, is unhappy at the way she was dealt with at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.
She told Caerphilly Observer: “The local emergency centre failed my son big time. I’m not a qualified nurse, but I could see he was no way right. It’s a mother’s instinct to get your child to the nearest hospital.
“But he was failed there with no second opinion, and no doctor was called for.
“It was just give my son Calpol and told to go to my doctor if I’m concerned.
“My son might not of been here today if it wasn’t for my gut instinct. I’m just really upset that Ystrad hospital failed to pick up all the symptoms’ my son was showing.”
A spokeswoman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We are sorry to hear that Mrs Thomas has concerns about the care Iwan received.
“We are aware that a complaint has been received and we will be working with the family to investigate their concerns.”