A five-year-old girl is struggling to eat and breathe because her tonsils are so swollen.

She’s been waiting more than three months for the simple procedure that could treat the problem but doctors have still not told her worried mother when it will be carried out.

Ellie-Mae Scarlett, from Mersham, was told she would need a tonsillectomy more than 18 weeks ago but despite having a pre-operation assessment at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital 10 weeks ago, the tot still doesn’t have a date for the surgery.

Mum Claire, said the youngster’s tonsils have now grown so big they are touching and she has lost weight because she can’t eat.

Her daughter now has obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where she stops breathing throughout the night, and mum-of-four Claire said she is “worried sick”.

She said: “Ellie-Mae had a pre-op consultation in January and was all ready and prepared for the surgery. But then we were told there was only one anaesthetist in east Kent who can do the operation and he had been off sick since November.

“When he comes back, he’s going to have a huge backlog to deal with and it could be months before she has her operation.

“I just can’t see an end to it and she’s really suffering.”

Because Ellie-Mae is unable to eat properly, she has lost weight and Claire said her breathing is very bad. She added: “I keep calling the hospital and getting passed from one person to another with no real answers.

“One receptionist even said ‘just take her to A&E if she stops breathing or her lips turn blue!’ I couldn’t believe it.

"I don’t understand why they did the pre-assessment on her when they knew there was no-one to do the operation.

“It’s as if they have done it to meet their hospital targets, so it looks good for them. It’s just crazy. Every night I go to bed waiting and listening for her breathing, or to make sure she hasn’t choked.

“She needs to see another consultant who can see that she really is a priority for this operation now. I’m terrified it could be another eight months before anything is done. How much worse does she need to get?”

“I’m cross with the hospital for allowing the pre-op assessment to ahead, getting her all psyched up for the operation and then just leaving her to get worse and worse when they knew they had no-one available to do it.”

A spokesman for the East Kent Hospitals Trust, which runs the William Harvey, said: “We are doing everything we can to schedule an appointment as soon as possible and we are very sorry for the delay.

"We would encourage any concerns to be shared with us directly.”