A toddler was left distressed and "choking on his own vomit" after waiting for five hours in an A&E waiting room run ragged by Covid.
Hull mum Jessica Allen, 19, says son Robin was in agony during the long wait at Hull Royal Infirmary.
She rushed the two-year-old to the hospital for urgent medical attention after he developed a high fever and a swollen testicle.
Medical advisors on the 111 helpline advised her to do so - but after a torturous wait, she was eventually told to book a GP appointment instead in the early hours of the morning.
Ms Allen claims her son was later diagnosed with a hernia, a serious and painful condition that can require surgical attention, the Hull Daily Mail reports.
The trust which runs the hospital has apologised for their experience, but added that A&E is currently facing "significant pressures" due to the pandemic.
Ms Allen said: "Five hours we have been sat here. 111 said he needed to be seen within the hour. He's sat being sick and choking in the waiting room and still no doctor.
"Teenagers came in 20 minutes ago and are being seen because they've been fighting. My two-year-old's sat crying his eyes out for five hours."
The mum said she had expected her son to be treated urgently being given advice from 111 that he should attend A&E.
She said they only left the hospital at 3am after a doctor said Robin should see a GP instead.
A GP later diagnosed Robin with a hernia and a severe gastric bug, and has since been admitted to hospital, the mum said.
Ms Allen's aunt, Wendy Allen, said: "The way they were treated is disgusting, he is just a baby and he was screaming in pain, yet nothing was done.
“Jessica is a young 19-year-old working mum, they should not have been treated like that."
A spokesperson for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates Hull Royal Infirmary, told Hull Live: “We are sorry to hear of Ms Allen’s experience and that of her son, Robin.
“Our emergency department, including our children’s A&E, have grown increasingly busy in recent months.
"Significant pressures are continuing throughout, and therefore waits of several hours in ED are not uncommon.
"Patients will always be triaged upon arrival at the hospital and seen and treated in order of clinical priority, not necessarily in the order that they arrive.
“We are happy to look into Ms Allen’s concerns and would encourage her to contact our patient advice & liaison service in order that we may do this.
“Members of the public can continue to help us reduce waits for the most seriously ill people by using alternatives such as walk in centres, 111 Online, Urgent Treatment Centres, pharmacies and their GP surgery for routine and non-emergency healthcare problems wherever possible.”
