Health: Calderdale dad and two sick children spent eight hours in A and E and still weren't seen

Speaking in Parliament during a debate on the NHS, Holly Lynch spoke of how her office manager and Calderdale Councillor Adam Wilkinson struggled to get medical help for his kids when they had worryingly-high temperatures.

He initially rang 111 when the one-year-old and four-year-old became increasingly unwell on a weekend, she said.

"They had temperatures just below 40C and were becoming lethargic, with the four-year-old complaining of a sore throat and the youngest having spots on her tongue,” she went on.

"Concerned, as all parents are, about the tragic fatal cases of children with Strep A, and with the GPs closed, they decided to call 111.

"They waited one-and-a-half-hours for someone to answer the call and were told that the symptoms were such that they required a call back from a GP within six hours.

"Shortly after ending the call, my office manager received a text saying: ‘Dear parent/guardian, due to unprecedented numbers of calls we are unable to provide a call back at this time and your case has been closed’.

"As the children’s conditions worsened, now into the evening and on a weekend, the parents became increasingly concerned for their children and felt they had no choice other than to take them to A and E.

"After an eight hour wait in A and E, an exhausted doctor came to the waiting room and told patients that he was incredibly sorry but that there was no way they could see everyone and that anyone who could possibly leave should do so.”

Reluctantly, the parents took their children home.

She added the Government is not doing enough to tackle the current state of the ‘broken’ NHS.

"The Government’s response to the crisis so far has not reflected the sheer panic and hopelessness that people, and parents in particular, feel is their loved ones and children are seriously unwell and the NHS is so broken that they cannot get any help,” she said.