When her daughter started coughing while she shopped in Boots, Kiya Pask thought little of it, taking baby Amelia out of her pram and comforting her until she calmed down.
Little did she know that an over-zealous pharmacist was taking note and that the episode would lead to social services searching her home and investigating her ability to look after her child.
Although she has now been cleared of any wrongdoing, Miss Pask is furious at the way she was treated, saying it is unacceptable that Boots passed on her details to authorities.
Miss Pask, 20, had taken 15-month-old Amelia to the store in Skegness, Lincolnshire, on March 4 to buy over-the-counter antihistamines to help control a bronchial virus, which had hospitalised the child the day before.
Anger: Kiya Pask, 20, outside the Boots store in Skegness where her daughter Amelia had the coughing fit
But when Amelia swallowed the medicine, she started coughing and Miss Pask explained to pharmacy staff that her daughter often struggled to take medication because of her condition.
A female pharmacist, however, shouted that the baby needed oxygen and despite Amelia’s swift recovery, later phoned social services to say Miss Pask did not do enough to help her child and that the baby was at risk.
Ten days later, social workers arrived at Miss Pask’s home in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, and demanded to see Amelia, who is deaf and registered disabled with a chronic bronchial virus.
They then searched the house thoroughly, looking in cupboards, inside the fridge, and checked plug sockets before quizzing Miss Pask as she looked after her child for an hour.
Lincolnshire Social Services has now written to say she is no longer under investigation, but Miss Pask is furious she was ever deemed a risk to her daughter.
She said: ‘The pharmacist started shouting “she’s choking” and “someone get her some oxygen”.
‘I took her out of the pram and said to the woman: “She was in hospital yesterday with bronchitis, all she’s done is swallowed the medicine the wrong way.”
Social services: Miss Pask, and her daughter (left), had a visit from council officials who spent an hour observing how she interacted with her child
Meddling pharmacist: The chemist started shouting 'she's choking' and 'someone get her some oxygen' and social services then began an investigation
‘Amelia started breathing normally and I put her back in her pram and took her home and didn’t think any more about it.’
Miss Pask said her child’s virus, which causes wheezing, cannot be treated with antibiotics but doctors have said she will grow out of it by the time she is four. She frequently has to take Amelia to hospital as a result. Miss Pask added: ‘The social workers said there had been a report made about the incident in Boots pharmacy that I left my daughter laid on her back and she turned blue. I felt like I was being interrogated. I do a good job looking after my daughter.
‘It’s had a massive impact on my life. I’m scared about the slightest thing my daughter does – if she does something unusual someone’s never seen before, that I am going to be reported.’
Miss Pask also claims the pharmacist breached patient confidentiality to get hold of her details.
Social services investigation: Amelia is deaf and registered disabled with a chronic bronchial virus
Boots has come under fire in recent weeks after a shop assistant in Spalding, Lincolnshire, smacked a child’s bottom and called her a ‘naughty girl’ for knocking over a bottle of disinfectant from a shelf.
Boots defended the pharmacist who reported Miss Pask, saying she acted in Amelia’s best interests. A spokesman said: ‘Our pharmacists are required to apply their professional knowledge and judgment and take appropriate action if they have any concern about patients’ health and safety.
‘We take patient confidentiality seriously and, having conducted a thorough investigation, are confident our pharmacist acted properly and professionally.’
Janice Spencer, assistant director for children’s services at Lincolnshire council, said: ‘When a referral is made to us and information suggests that a child may be at risk of harm, the responsible action is of course to make enquiries.’
Little did she know that an over-zealous pharmacist was taking note and that the episode would lead to social services searching her home and investigating her ability to look after her child.
Although she has now been cleared of any wrongdoing, Miss Pask is furious at the way she was treated, saying it is unacceptable that Boots passed on her details to authorities.
Miss Pask, 20, had taken 15-month-old Amelia to the store in Skegness, Lincolnshire, on March 4 to buy over-the-counter antihistamines to help control a bronchial virus, which had hospitalised the child the day before.
Anger: Kiya Pask, 20, outside the Boots store in Skegness where her daughter Amelia had the coughing fit
But when Amelia swallowed the medicine, she started coughing and Miss Pask explained to pharmacy staff that her daughter often struggled to take medication because of her condition.
A female pharmacist, however, shouted that the baby needed oxygen and despite Amelia’s swift recovery, later phoned social services to say Miss Pask did not do enough to help her child and that the baby was at risk.
Ten days later, social workers arrived at Miss Pask’s home in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, and demanded to see Amelia, who is deaf and registered disabled with a chronic bronchial virus.
They then searched the house thoroughly, looking in cupboards, inside the fridge, and checked plug sockets before quizzing Miss Pask as she looked after her child for an hour.
Lincolnshire Social Services has now written to say she is no longer under investigation, but Miss Pask is furious she was ever deemed a risk to her daughter.
She said: ‘The pharmacist started shouting “she’s choking” and “someone get her some oxygen”.
‘I took her out of the pram and said to the woman: “She was in hospital yesterday with bronchitis, all she’s done is swallowed the medicine the wrong way.”
Social services: Miss Pask, and her daughter (left), had a visit from council officials who spent an hour observing how she interacted with her child
Meddling pharmacist: The chemist started shouting 'she's choking' and 'someone get her some oxygen' and social services then began an investigation
‘Amelia started breathing normally and I put her back in her pram and took her home and didn’t think any more about it.’
Miss Pask said her child’s virus, which causes wheezing, cannot be treated with antibiotics but doctors have said she will grow out of it by the time she is four. She frequently has to take Amelia to hospital as a result. Miss Pask added: ‘The social workers said there had been a report made about the incident in Boots pharmacy that I left my daughter laid on her back and she turned blue. I felt like I was being interrogated. I do a good job looking after my daughter.
‘It’s had a massive impact on my life. I’m scared about the slightest thing my daughter does – if she does something unusual someone’s never seen before, that I am going to be reported.’
Miss Pask also claims the pharmacist breached patient confidentiality to get hold of her details.
Social services investigation: Amelia is deaf and registered disabled with a chronic bronchial virus
Boots has come under fire in recent weeks after a shop assistant in Spalding, Lincolnshire, smacked a child’s bottom and called her a ‘naughty girl’ for knocking over a bottle of disinfectant from a shelf.
Boots defended the pharmacist who reported Miss Pask, saying she acted in Amelia’s best interests. A spokesman said: ‘Our pharmacists are required to apply their professional knowledge and judgment and take appropriate action if they have any concern about patients’ health and safety.
‘We take patient confidentiality seriously and, having conducted a thorough investigation, are confident our pharmacist acted properly and professionally.’
Janice Spencer, assistant director for children’s services at Lincolnshire council, said: ‘When a referral is made to us and information suggests that a child may be at risk of harm, the responsible action is of course to make enquiries.’