EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s absolute madness’
17:03, 25 Feb 2026Updated 17:13, 25 Feb 2026
Hollie and Millie(Image: Supplied)
An Edinburgh mum has been left stunned after claiming her young daughter was failed by NHS staff at the Sick Kids. Hollie Jeffrey told how ten-year-old Millie was sent home from the hospital in a bandage – only to return the next day when tests confirmed she had broken her foot.
Hollie, 38, got a phone call on February 12 from Millie’s school to say her daughter had an accident and hurt her foot. They went to the hospital and were checked over by a doctor.
The mum claims no imaging was carried out and the medic asked her “what do you want me to do about it?” before becoming dismissive.
Adamant something was wrong, Hollie visited the hospital again on February 13 due to Millie being “unsettled” and unable to walk on her foot.
It was at that point she was informed her daughter had fractured her foot in three places. Hollie had previously taken Millie to the hospital on February 10 for a separate ankle injury incurred at school.
Looking back on the ordeal, she believes the treatment was “madness” and issues surrounding children need to be taken more seriously.
NHS Lothian has since apologised for how the family were treated and said they take patient care “very seriously”.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Hollie said: “On February 10, she caught her ankle at school. The doctor said it was fine and it was just bruised. On the Thursday, I got another call from the school to say she had a second accident, but this time it was her foot. It looked really swollen and had a big lump.
“She was crying and I knew something was wrong. We went back to A&E and it was the same doctor we saw on Tuesday. She took us through and straight away was like ‘what do you want me to do about it?’
“She said she X-rayed her on Tuesday and there was nothing wrong and I had to keep repeating it was a different injury. I said I brought her there because she had really hurt herself and couldn’t stop crying and I would like the doctors to do something.
“She was forcefully grabbing Millie’s foot and asking her to stand. Millie couldn’t stop crying and asked her to stop. She was in agony and was sobbing.
Millie had fractured her ankle
“I said ‘listen, she can’t walk on that’ and she said she wasn’t going to do anything to help. She then said a child with an injury wouldn’t be colouring in the waiting room and I really didn’t like that comment.
“She just wasn’t bothered that Millie was in distress or the fact her foot was really swollen, she just sent us home.”
Hollie said she was “really angry” about how they were treated and made sure to mention it on the phone ahead of their third visit to the hospital.
She added: “She was just so unsettled and couldn’t walk on it. She was shuffling around on her bum and stuff and I knew this wasn’t normal. She is the type of child who would get over it after hurting herself but she kept saying how sore she was.
“I was told to bring her straight back in to hospital and she had another X-ray. It was a completely different doctor and they apologised for how we had been treated.
“They said she fractured her foot in three places and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She had to be in a moon boot for three weeks.
“I just felt like this could have been dealt with earlier but the doctor refused to do absolutely anything so she had to be in severe pain for an extra day. I was absolutely flabbergasted and I am disgusted by it.”
Millie has since made a slight recovery and has been provided with relief after being put in the moon boot. Hollie added: “She’s still in pain and will say to me about three times a day ‘mum will you check my foot?’
“She’s only 10 and she’s been asking why the doctor didn’t want to help her. I think it’s absolutely madness.”
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director for NHS Lothian, said: “We take patient care very seriously and understand how distressing incidents involving children can be.
“We are sorry that the family were disappointed with the care they experienced but as we are currently investigating their complaint, we are unable to comment any further at this time.”