A hotel has apologised after a staff member refused to help a terminally ill baby.
Three-month-old Charlie, who lives with a tracheostomy, was taken to Duck Bay Hotel and Restaurant in Loch Lomond yesterday while receiving end-of-life care at Robin House Children’s Hospice in Balloch.
However, Charlie's family were left shocked after an employee refused to let them plug in the baby's nebuliser – which turns liquid containing medication into a mist to breath in.
Taking to Facebook, Bradley said: "My sister and fiancé went to this absolute embarrassment of a place, as they’re trying to do nice things and make every day Charlie has left special.
"They spent £40 on overpriced coffee and cakes and stayed there for a while. It got to the time Charlie needed his nebuliser so as the restaurant was so busy, they asked at the reception of the hotel if they could use one of the plug sockets so he could get this. While they’re holding him in their arms they were told 'no, we don’t do this here'. Even after explaining the situation they weren’t interested one bit.
"They had to leave and get back to the hospice immediately so they could give him this, when going back they’ve spoken to the nurse there as were obviously upset. The nurse has called them and they’ve told them they’re not speaking to a manager and they’re not interested essentially.
"The charge nurse has then phoned them and said they’d hold to speak to a manager to then be told “other people will be waiting to call us and we can’t help”
"How in this day and age can ANY place turn someone away for something like this. Especially after being there and spending money. Literally holding a baby in their arms who needs this.
"Not really going to make a massive difference but hopefully this gets shared far and wide and nobody bothers to go and spend their money there. In the nicest way possible I hope the place rots and none of the staff are ever in a situation like this with their extremely ill child."
The post created an outrage among other social media users.
One person wrote: "This is vile."
While another said: "Absolutely disgusted."
A third person said: "I have never in my life heard of anything so disturbing and completely unavoidable. Where’s the compassion? I will be warning EVERYONE I know never to give business to this absolute disgraceful company. Sickened."
A fourth added: "Oh my god this is just completely inhumane. Absolutely disgusted in them!! I can’t even fathom this."
While a fifth said: "This is an absolute disgrace, absolutely heart-breaking for the family looking to spend time with their son."
Duck Bay hotel has since apologised following the incident.
A statement from the hotel directors and management was posted on Facebook. The established said the incident was due to a junior member of staff "making a mistake".
The statement read: "Duck Bay Marina have recently been made aware of an incident which occurred earlier today and would like to profusely apologise for what happened.
"The incident involved a junior member of staff who has recently joined the company, acting without guidance, who entirely misunderstood and misjudged a situation. We are deeply upset at how this incident was handled and we are truly sorry for the upset it has caused.
"It is in absolutely no way a reflection of the values of Duck Bay Marina or our hard working staff, many of whom are devastated by the incident. A full investigation will follow and the necessary remedial action will be taken.
"We have made contact with both Robin House and Charlie’s parents to offer a personal apology and to reassure them that the incident is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
"As long time supporters of local charities we will certainly make amends for the incident and will take the opportunity to review our training and procedures to ensure such an incident is never repeated.
"We are also aware of social media posts and comments regarding the incident.
"Whilst we completely understand peoples reaction to what happened, we would like to remind you that this is an incident involving a very inexperienced young person who has made a mistake, they are absolutely devastated by what has happened and how they have handled things."
Some people were commenting on Duck Bay Hotel's Facebook calling for a boycott.
However, the hotel has turned off comments.
