A UK teen has died just weeks before his 18th birthday after he was sent home from hospital by staff who accused him of being a timewaster.
Jayden Powell, 17, died from a brain tumour, which wasn't picked up by doctors despite an excruciating six-week battle with headaches.
Living in agonising pain, Jayden went to hospital in search for relief. However his parents say they were told A&E is "not for headaches" and claim a nurse told them "stop wasting our time". He was then sent home with migraine tablets.
"A nurse said to us 'stop wasting our time, this is for accident and emergencies not headaches'," his father told The Mirror.
"She sent us next door to see a 24-hour GP who flicked a light on and off and said 'you've got a migraine, go home and continue pain relief'."
Jayden's tumour wasn't spotted until he had a check-up at an opticians and an eye specialist spotted something disturbing.
They sent him back to hospital where scans revealed the four-centimetre tumour on his brain. He failed to recover after surgery and passed away this week.
"It feels like my heart has been ripped out," his father told The Mirror.
"If he was diagnosed earlier could that have made a difference? We'll never know."
The Trust in charge of the hospital has previously said Jayden was appropriately referred for a GP-led assessment.
Newshub.
