Miss Marie Burnham, Chief Executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, says the hospital takes full responsibiitly for the actions of a senior doctor who failed to diagnose five-month old Callum Murray with the deadly disease and sent him home with a prescription for Calpol.

Callum was rushed to hospital after a health visitor noticed a telltale rash on his legs. But Mr and Mrs Graham and Kathryn Murray, of Tiverton Drive, Burnley, were then told by a doctor at Royal Blackburn he could not offer a diagnosis and Callum should be taken home and given Calpol.

Miss Burnham states: "The more senior doctor was in fact a locum doctor and has not worked in the emergency department since the incident. I am disappointed the senior nursing team members did not question why the doctor was allowing Callum to go home without him being referred to a paediatrician.

"I do hope Callum is well on the way to making a full recovery and I am pleased to read that your experiences of Burnley General Hospital were much more positive."

"I am very happy they have accepted responsibility," said Mrs Murray. "Although we are happy with the letter we want to know what is happening about the doctor. We dread to think what could have happened if I had not taken Callum to my GP the following morning.

"He is doing a lot better now and is looking a lot healthier. There could be a problem with his right ear but it's hard to know at this time if that is related to the meningitis."