Children forced to sleep on the floor due to the spread of Strep A

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Chloe Brewer, 35, said staff looked ‘broken’ as they struggled to deal with the numbers (Image: GETTY)

Concerned parents are flocking to hospitals worried about their children’s health after an outbreak of Strep A.

A&E divisions are said to be struggling to handle the surge in demand.

Chloe Brewer, 35, took her son Hayden to Peterborough City Hospital after he came down with alarming symptoms of Strep A.

The five-year-old had a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and was struggling to breathe.

Chloe claimed that staff looked “broken” and exhausted families were forced to sit on the floor for hours.

She told the Mirror: ‘The NHS is on its knees. The scenes were like nothing I could ever imagine. He was totally swinging. You can’t even move around in the waiting room.

Every chair was taken and there were people on the floor, including very bad kids sleeping there while they waited.

Each child looked very fine. There was a boy next to me whose lips turned blue because he couldn’t breathe properly.

He was there several hours longer than us and still not seen.

The nurses seemed completely fed up and nuts, which I totally understand. I am a staunch advocate for the NHS.

Chloe waited three hours on the waiting room floor before she and Hayden had to go home to take care of her other son.

A spokesperson for the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough Hospital, told The Mirror: ‘We are seeing an increase in numbers of A&E staff. While we care about more people, their safety remains an absolute priority.

An outbreak of Strep A has caused waves of anxiety among families (Image: Getty Images)

“We encourage people to use NHS 111 to get advice on where to access the most appropriate treatment before they come to hospital.”

Group A streptococcus bacteria can cause many different types of infections, ranging from simple to deadly diseases.

Illnesses caused by Strep A bacteria include skin infections, impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.

While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, the bacteria sometimes causes a life-threatening disease called invasive group A streptococcal disease.

Experts said there is no current evidence that a new strain is circulating and that the rise in cases is likely due to the large amounts of bacteria circulating and increased social mixing.

It comes amid news that local pharmacies in England are grappling with a “lack” of antibiotics available to treat Strep A infections.

In some areas, staff have “never seen” so many prescriptions issued.

Hannah Sami, who runs a pharmacy in Wilmslow, Cheshire, said they had completely run out of amoxicillin – one of the antibiotics used to treat Strep A.

Pharmacies are reporting a decrease in antibiotics available (Image: Getty Images)

Penicillin, which is often given to children in liquid form, is also in short supply in some areas.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay insisted on Wednesday that checks within the Department of Health had not revealed a problem with the supply of medicines.

However, the National Pharmacy Association cited “weaknesses” in the supply chain for liquid penicillin, while the Association of Multiple Independent Pharmacy said pharmacists across the country were struggling to get everything they needed.

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