Hotel apologises for treatment of terminally ill boy

A luxury hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond has issued a “humble apology” over the treatment of a terminally ill baby at the premises.

Three-month-old Charlie, who is receiving end-of-life care at Robin House Children’s Hospice in Balloch, was taken to nearby Duck Bay Hotel by his family on Sunday.

During the day out in West Dunbartonshire, Charlie’s parents were denied access to a plug socket to switch on a nebuliser – a device that turns a liquid containing medication into a fine mist to be breathed in.

The boy’s uncle, Bradley Raynham, said he hoped to raise awareness of the incident so that it “doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future”.

Mr Raynham criticised the hotel in a Facebook post, saying his sister and her partner asked at reception for help but “they weren’t interested one bit”.

He said Charlie’s parents returned to the hospice “immediately” and were “obviously upset” over their treatment, which led to nurses calling the hotel to complain.

Mr Raynham added: “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.”

The family were “extremely overwhelmed” and “extremely grateful for everyone’s support” in response to the incident.

Forced to make an apology

The post itself sparked a public outcry to which Duck Bay Hotel issued a “very humble apology”.

In a statement posted on Facebook, signed by the directors, management and staff at the hotel, the incident was said to have involved a junior worker who “entirely misunderstood and misjudged a situation”.

The hotel “profusely” apologised for what happened, stating: “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.”

The hotel said it had contacted the hospice 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”.

Responding to critical social media posts, the hotel said it understood the reactions but added: “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.”