A MOTHER has criticised Darent Valley Hospital after she was told her son would have a three hour wait to receive urgent treatment.

Rather than wait, on the suggestion of Darent Valley Hospital, Joanne Evans, 34, of Sycamore Road, Dartford took her 10-year-old son Connor Avery 34 miles to Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

Her son had undergone surgery at the East Grinstead hospital on a nerve in his hand following an accident on September 4.

On September 7 at about 11pm the splint became loose and the mother rang Darent Valley Hospital for help. But she was told there would be a wait of at lest three hours.

Upset Mrs Evans said: "I did not see why they could not strap him up straight away. I find it disgusting they would not see a child that has just had surgery, it would take us five minutes to get there."

She added it was annoying to be forced to drive two hours in total for a five-minute job.

Mrs Evans said: "Because he has had a nerve moved, the surgery that they have done on the nerve could rip open and he would have to have it all done again, that is why the splint is there."

And at East Grinstead the mum claims the bandaging took "five minutes tops".

She said: "We walked straight in the ward. We walked in to a little room and two nurses dressed him and we were back out again."

In a statement Darent Valley Hospital said the accident and emergency department was "extremely" busy at the time.

They said that while the hospital meets the national target of three to four hours, they still try to see patients as soon as possible.

The hospital added they understood why Mrs Evans was unhappy with going to East Grinstead where her son had undergone previous treatment.

A Darent Valley Hospital spokesman said: "The Modern Matron from the Accident and Emergency Department has since contacted Mrs Evans and apologised for any inconvenience this suggestion may have caused."