Parents of sick child in row with hospital hit out at foster care threat

The parents of a sick child have said that the London Borough of Croydon has threatened foster care proceedings because they have rejected a hospital’s care plan.

A Just Giving page set up to raise the money to engage a solicitor details a disagreement between the parents of 11-year-old Melody Driscoll, who has a range of serious conditions, and a doctor who “informed me that if I didn’t consent to them removing Melody’s medications they would take me to court to remove my parental rights so they could do it”.

It goes on to describe how the parents have lost confidence in King’s College Hospital and believe the treatment it proposes is detrimental.

The BBC has reported that Croydon is taking legal action to take Melody into foster care on the advice of the hospital, which believes the parents are refusing to co-operate with a care plan that is in the child’s best interests.

A Croydon statement said: “We do not comment on individual cases; however, it is always very difficult for all concerned to ensure the right decisions are made for children who have complex health and care needs when there are differing medical options. 

“We will always seek to work with parents and hear the views of the child and the family.”

Mark Smulian