“They need to be retrained or something”, Father claims that doctors could have killed his newborn son after the sick baby was given medicine that was 15 times the recommended dosage

The 36-year-old father says that doctors could have killed his 1-month-old son after the newborn was given medicine that was fifteen times the recommended dosage. The dad claims there could have been fatal consequences for the little boy if he hadn’t asked a community nurse if the amount was correct. The medical personnel reportedly told the father that his son contracted a bug due to cross-contamination. The doctors then changed their mind, deciding to treat him instead for meningitis, before turning back to their original diagnosis.

According to the Mirror, the newborn baby, Jadon, was diagnosed with a bug on April 14 so the doctor prescribed the antibiotic drug clindamycin.

The 36-year-old father, Gareth Jennings, claims that the doctor told him to give the baby four 15ml oral servings of the drug per day and the correct amount should have been just 1ml.

According to the Daily Post, the dad said that he later asked for a second opinion and was reportedly told that the boy would have been dead within a week if he had followed the doctor’s initial guidance.

The father also said that he had concerns about the care his wife, Heather Jennings, was receiving at the hospital after she gave birth to their son on March 6. The medical personnel reportedly told the father that his son contracted a bug due to cross-contamination.

The doctors then changed their mind, deciding to treat him instead for meningitis, before turning back to their original diagnosis, per reports.

On April 14, the 1-month-old baby boy was prescribed Clindamycin by the hospital, and his parents were told to administer 15ml of the drug to him per day.

It was only after a community nurse visited the family the day before the round of medication was due to begin that they were warned that the prescribed dosage was 15 times the recommended amount.

Gareth Jennings told the Daily Post: “The community nurse had left some stuff in the kitchen so had come back to pick it up. While they were here, my wife mentioned that the prescription seemed a bit high and asked them to check it. The nurse turned to my wife and went, ‘You’ve not given him this yet, have you?’

He was absolutely shocked. He explained that if we gave that amount to him, he’d overdose and be dead by the end of the week. Someone needs picking up on this. They need to be retrained or something. I’m furious.”

Jennings also said that both his son and wife are now recovering. 

During an interview with the Mirror, Gareth Jennings reportedly said: “I am not going back to that hospital now. They got loads of things wrong. It’s been a farce.”

The medical director at at BNHS Foundation Trust, Dr. Francis Andrews, released the following statement: “I’m sorry that the Jennings family received incorrect advice about their medication and know that it must have been really concerning. 

We are working with them to fully understand their concerns around the care they have received as a family, so that we can establish any learning, and prevent anything similar happening in the future.”