A mum is full of praise for healthcare staff who looked after her baby son after he fell ill with a dangerous disease.

Susan Reed called NHS Direct after her baby Fergus Roe fell ill while only five weeks old. He was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where he was diagnosed with viral meningitis and spent the next five days in the Riverbank children’s unit, while Susan and her husband Steve Roe watched and waited anxiously.

But Susan said that despite their worries, they were highly impressed with all the health service staff with whom they dealt.

“Fergus was very grumpy and hot that evening, and I knew something wasn’t right, so I called NHS Direct and they were brilliant,” she said. “Everyone was absolutely wonderful, from the ambulance crew who brought us in, to the staff at Riverside. They couldn’t have been nicer, and even when I was crying my eyes out, they never acted as though I was a nuisance or anything.

“It was just the same when Fergus was born. Everyone was absolutely wonderful. I just want everyone to know what a good job they do.”