'Appalling Delays' At Colchester General Are Tragic, Says Action For Sick Children Chief

STOCKPORT, U.K. - Nov. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Appalling delays to cancer treatment at Colchester General Hospital which led to the death of four year old Mackenzie Cackett have been roundly criticized by Pamela Barnes, chairman of children’s charity Action for Sick Children.

Mackenzie died of a brain tumour after a series of delays to his treatment at the hospital which has been the subject of a damning report into care. The report revealed several other patients may have died after enduring lengthy waiting times for treatment.

Police have now been called in over claims that staff were ‘pressured, bullied and harassed’ by managers into covering up the scale of the crisis.

“This is a truly tragic situation,” said Mrs Barnes, speaking from Action for Sick Children’s Cheshire HQ. “Health services should be fit for purpose otherwise tragedies like this can occur. We send our sincere condolences to little Mackenzie’s family.”

Ironically, Mackenzie, from Halstead, Essex, was the subject of national publicity just two months before he died. He was visited by the Duchess of Cambridge at his hospice. She was said to have been ‘touched by his plight’ and later wrote a letter of condolence to his family.

For further information about Action for Sick Children click onto: www.actionforsickchildren.org

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