Two loving parents are facing a legal battle to save their baby son’s life after a hospital applied to the High Court to switch off his life support.
Alfie Evans’ family claim they are in a ‘living nightmare’ after the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool said they had exhausted all options to treat and diagnose the young boy’s mystery brain condition.
The hospital’s decision comes after his parents, Thomas Evans and Kate James, both 20, say they have found a hospital abroad which is willing to take him following months of searching.
Alfie Evans has been at the hospital since December last year and is in the intensive care ward, where he suffers regular seizures
Yet a letter to them, seen by the Liverpool Echo, shows Alder Hey are against the move to an Italian children’s hospital and have now taken the fight to court.
Alfie has been at the hospital since December last year and is in the intensive care ward, where he suffers regular seizures.
The case resembles that of young Charlie Gard, who passed away earlier this year after his parents Chris and Connie fought a legal battle to try and keep him alive, despite advice from medical experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Thousands of people have now signed up to join ‘Alfie’s Army’ after months of discussion between the hospital and the parents about the young boy.
Mr Evans, from Bootle, said: ‘It’s devastating – we feel so disappointed. I feel Alfie is being ignored, let down and not given a chance.
Yet a letter to the parents, seen by the Liverpool Echo, shows Alder Hey are against the move to an Italian children’s hospital and have now taken the fight to court
‘Why should we take him to a hospice when there’s a hospital happy to take him? Alder Hey were watching us work so hard to get this hospital – now we’ve got an offer and a doctor willing to come over, but they’ve refused to speak with him.
‘Now we are starting to go through a living nightmare. They are making it 10 times worse.’
The hospital has asked the High Court to rule that it is in Alfie’s best interest for long-term ventilation and intensive care to be withdrawn.
The letter says: ‘The trust does not consider the provision of continued mechanical ventilation nor the move to Italy to be in Alfie’s best interests.
The hospital’s decision comes after his parents, Thomas Evans (pictured, holding Alfie) and Kate James, both 20, say they have found a hospital abroad which is willing to take him following months of searching
Alfie pictured a few weeks after birth – he is now struggling against an undiagnosed condition
‘The application also asks the court to make a declaration that it is in Alfie’s best interests to be transferred to a hospice setting and to be treated on a palliative pathway with appropriate end-of-life care.’
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for the family concerned and we continue to liaise directly with them.
‘We are unable to comment on individual cases. Alder Hey is a specialist children’s hospital which, therefore, means we treat many children with often complex, life-threatening conditions. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our clinicians, some of these children are sadly unable to recover from their illness.
‘In such a situation, medical professionals will meet to discuss the most appropriate care plan going forward, focusing on the comfort, wellbeing and best interests of the child concerned.
Alfie’s case resembles that of young Charlie Gard, who passed away earlier this year after his parents Chris and Connie fought a legal battle against Great Ormond Street Hospital to try and keep him alive
‘The Trust will often seek advice from specialist clinicians at other trusts. The care plan is always discussed in full with the family to aim to reach agreement between clinicians and parents about the most appropriate care.
‘Understandably, these cases place families under great pressure. We will always seek to reach agreement with parents of the child concerned, but there will be some rare situations where agreement cannot be reached and the treating team believe that continued active treatment is not in a child’s best interests.
‘In these cases, the Trust will refer a case to the Family Division of the High Court and seek a determination as to the best interests of the child.’