A CHILD who was bleeding from the mouth was turned away from a doctors surgery when her family rushed there for help.

The Heathcotes have accused Lever Chambers in Bolton town centre of ignoring their their little girl in her time of need.

Four-year-old Ellie-May, from Johnson Fold, fell face-first on to the cobbles in Cheadle Square and was left with a bleeding cut on her lip.

Parents Aaron Heathcote and Amanda Robinson rushed to the surgery in Ashburner Street in the hope of finding a first -aider but claim their pleas for help were dismissed by a staff member on the front desk.

Mr Heathcote, aged 33, said: "There was lots of blood coming out of her mouth, it was on her hands and everything. With all this blood all we thought was to run straight to the doctors where we thought we could get some help.

"The receptionist said there was no first-aider and told us to go to the pharmacy. She didn't even look at her to see what state she was in. She just refused to help.

"I think that is really wrong for a doctors surgery, we went to find a first-aider and where just told to go away.

"When there was all this blood and your daughter is crying but no one will help you, it is scary. You expect to find some help in a doctors surgery but there wasn't any at all."

The family were directed to the on-site pharmacists where Ellie-May was checked out. Staff told the family she may need stitches and should be checked by a nurse practitioner.

Contacting their own GP, they were advised to visit Avondale Health Centre, but could not get through on the phone so decided to try Lever Chambers again for a nurse.

Once again, they were turned away by the receptionist, this time being told to go to A&E at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Mr Heathcote added: "Ellie-May was crying the whole time and even crying at the hospital, and that was 25 minutes after the accident.

"The nurse at the hospital was even angry we hadn't been offered first-aid. We had a young child and just needed some help."

Ellie-May, a pupil of Johnson Fold Community Primary School, suffered a cut to her top lip, but no stitches were needed, and, after seeing a dentist, has been warned the fall could have caused some damage to her emerging adult teeth.

The family have now approached the The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to make a complaint about the treatment they received from the surgery.

Lever Chambers Centre for Health operates seven days a week and is home to two GP practices and a pharmacy, as well as a wide range of community services.

A Bolton NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson issued an apology to the family.

They said: "We’re sorry that the father of the little girl who fell outside Lever Chambers is upset with how they were treated at the centre. When they came to the reception for help, our member of staff directed them as best she could to get treatment, which was the neighbouring pharmacy.

"The trust no longer operates a walk-in centre at Lever Chambers, and there are no medical staff on site that could have assessed the little girl to decide on appropriate treatment. Our member of staff acted quickly to ensure that someone with medical knowledge would help the family, but we apologise that this was not as they would have expected.

"We hope that she is feeling better soon."