Baby Charlie’s parents were denied the use of a plug socket at the Duck Bay Hotel in Loch Lomond by staff despite baby Charlie needing to use a medical device that is helping keep him alive
A luxury hotel has responded after refusing to help a terminally baby at its premises, with the hotel blasted for denying the three-month-old infant the chance to use an important medical device.
Duck Bay Hotel, situated on the banks of Scotland’s gorgeous Loch Lomond, faced backlash after three-month-old Charlie’s family was denied the chance to use a nebuliser – a medical device that turns liquid containing medication into a fine mist to breathe in. Baby Charlie, who lives with a tracheostomy, was staying with his parents at Robin House Children’s Hospice, just down the road in Balloch.
Charlie’s parents, from Edinburgh, decided to take their son to the popular loch-side venue for some time together as a family, spending around £40 on coffee and cakes while there. But they were left horrified after they were denied the use of a plug socket to switch on Charlie’s vital machine.
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After a scathing post about the incident went viral, hotel bosses issued a “very humble apology”. Charlie’s uncle, Bradley Raynham, had blasted the hotel, sharing details of the family’s ordeal. He said: “My sister and fiancé are currently residing at Robin House Children’s Hospice as my nephew is receiving end of life care there.
“He is a little over 3 months old and every minutes of every day is a blessing with him just now. He has a tracheostomy which he breathes through and every so often he needs a nebuliser which is essentially vaporised water that’s like steam that helps clear his airways to help him breathe.
“They went to this absolute embarrassment of a place, as they’re trying to do nice things and make every day Charlie has left special. It got to the time Charlie needs 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 socket 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 the nebuliser.”
Bradley went on to explain that hospice nurses were so stunned when they heard of the family’s ordeal, they called the hotel on their behalf, reports the Daily Record. He added: “The charge nurse 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.”
Duck Bay Hotel management issued a public apology to the family, saying the incident involved a “very inexperienced” junior member of staff. A spokesperson said: “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 people’s 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.”
