A mum fears her daughter may be wheelchair-bound with long-term ill health because so many hospital appointments were cancelled due to Covid.

Rachael Swadling's little girl Hallie was induced early after a serious heart condition was discovered half-way through her pregnancy.

Hours after she was born on March 19, 2019 the tot underwent an operation at King's College Hospital in London to remedy an artery defect.

While pregnant her 24-year-old mum was regularly monitored by medical staff, giving birth at 32 weeks.

However, a month after being discharged she took her to Medway Maritime with breathing difficulties and it was discovered she had a bad chest infection.

She said: "They found black spots on her lungs. She was given a nebuliser and has been using one ever since."

It has since been discovered the youngster has congenital muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition which affects muscle strength and tone. There are other undiagnosed ailments too.

In August 2020 an appointment at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London was scrapped because of Covid.

To date she has had six face-to-face meetings cancelled because of the pandemic and staff shortages.

Hallie had initially made good progress at her Gillingham home but mum was told she would need follow-up checks at the Evelina.

Physically, she was sitting independently at eight months, standing by 10 months and taking a few steps by 11 months.

But Rachael soon noticed from her first birthday that she had started going backwards,

Alarm bells rang after she had a fall in March last year and Rachael noticed loss of head and neck control.

She was given a walking frame to assist her mobility.

The worried mum said up until then she had no reason to think anything was wrong but by the July she could see her condition deteriorating as she struggled to keep her knees from buckling and ankles cracking.

She said: "She started off beautifully, but now I could see she was going backwards rather forwards. I was tearing my hair out.

"I was begging somebody to see my little girl. I was pleading with doctors she needs help.

"I felt disgusted at the way I was being dismissed.

"These were not routine check-ups like you get normally after having a baby, but vital appointments as far as I am concerned.

"There is no doubt if my daughter had been seen sooner, we would not be in this situation.

"In her latest list she has 10 conditions and this keeps growing.

"This is my daughter we are talking about and I want answers. I don't want big words thrown at me which I then have to research and google which can be scary

"I feel the NHS has let us down. Who knows if they had seen Hallie earlier she might not be in the position she is now?

"And we still don't know what's wrong with her. It's breaking my heart.

Now three, the youngster currently has physiotherapy at the Snapdragons Centre in Strood where she uses a hydrotherapy pool to ease her muscles.

Rachael added: "They have been marvellous at Snapdragons. They were the first to tell me that my daughter was disabled and helped us find more suitable accommodation."

She is now in the process of drafting a formal complaint.

"I believe it was very important those appointments should have been kept at what could have proved a crucial time.

"I don't know to this day that Hallie might have to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. At the moment I am her arms and legs."

An Evelina Hospital spokesman said: "We are very sorry for the delay to Hallie’s first appointment which was due to Covid-19 pressures. She has now been fully reviewed and we will work with her family on the best way to manage her condition.”