A BOLTON mother claims a health centre treated her daughter "appallingly" when she was suddenly taken ill.

Kathleen Matthews has demanded answers from Bolton Community Healthcare Trust and officials have promised to investigate.

Mrs Matthews said her 17-year-old daughter Emma staggered in off the street with griping pains in her chest, arms and leg as she was getting ready to go on a day trip to Chester with visiting French students.

Before the bus left Moor Lane bus station, Emma told her teacher she felt unwell and set off to get on a bus to her Little Lever home.

But Mrs Matthews said Emma's chest pains got worse, her vision became blurred, one side of her face went numb and she staggered into Lever Chambers for Health. She was sent upstairs to see one of the resident GPs but Mrs Matthews claims that because Emma was not registered with any of the doctors there, she was sent away.

The mother claims that when Emma went downstairs she was sent outside to a public call box to speak to her own GP.

"All they offered her was a phone book to look up the number. In the call box Emma spoke to her doctor while she was sitting on the floor. Her legs simply wouldn't hold her up," said Mrs Matthews.

"I cannot believe that so called caring people could treat a young girl who was obviously in a great deal of pain and clearly distressed in such an appalling and shoddy way," she said.

At her own doctor's insistence, Emma got a taxi to his surgery on Mytham Road, Little Lever, and now Emma and her mother are now awaiting an appointment with a consultant and chest X-rays.

"Anyone with half a mind must know it's not normal for a girl of Emma's age to stagger in with pains to her chest. I cannot believe the way these people treated my daughter," said Mrs Matthews.

A spokeswoman for Bolton Community Healthcare Trust said: "We have taken all the details from Mrs Matthews about what happened on the day and shall investigate fully. A formal, written response will be sent out within 20 working days."

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