THE grandmother of an eight-year-old boy, who suffered a broken arm, has criticised an NHS Trust after she claims he was sent from A&E in "agony".

Donna Appleby of Newton Aycliffe said her grandson, Billy had suffered a broken arm at around 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Ms Appleby, who is the full time carer for Billy, immediately took him to Darlington Memorial Hospital's Accident and Emergency.

But despite being seen by a nurse "straight away", she said it will now be another day before her grandson is seen again.

She said: "The nurse told us his arm was broken. She put it in a sling and she said 'This won’t be much good but it will be of some support'."

Ms Appleby said the hospital prescribed Billy with antibiotics and placed his broken arm into a temporary sling, until a follow-up appointment, which is scheduled for Friday morning.

She said: "Seriously he’s eight-years-old. My grandson is in agony and it will be another 24 hours with no pain relief."

Desperate, Ms Appleby tried to contact staff at the University Hospital of North Durham, who also told her they're next appointment would not be until Friday.

She said: “I rang them and complained but they said that’s the way the system works.

"What is this health service coming to, to see a child suffer. I am stood here and I am fuming. We wouldn’t leave a dog in this much pain."

A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which operates both hospitals, said: "We have been in contact with Billy's family and we are sorry to hear their concerns about the level of pain he is experiencing.

"We understand how distressing this must be. Our skilled emergency and orthorpaedic teams work closely to diagnose and treat patients appropriately and quickly and this includes advice on pain relief. 

"When a patient remains in pain however, they can return to our emergency department for further review."