8-year-old boy dies after being taken to hospital 17 miles away

An investigation's been launched after an 8-year-old boy died after ambulance staff took him to a hospital 17 miles away from his home following the closure of a local children's ward.

Paramedics attended Callum Cartlidge at his home in Redditch after he went in to a cardiac arrest on Friday.

Crews then took him to the Worcestershire Royal 17 miles away from his local Alexandra Hospital.

Callum had attended his GP earlier in the week complaining of stomach ache.

It follows the recent controversial closure of the children's ward at the Alexandra due to a lack of specialists.

Andrew Short, Paediatrician and acting Chief Medical Officer at Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust believes the outcome is unlikely to have been different if Callum had been taken to a hospital closer to home.

The schoolboy's relatives have launched an appealto raise £3,000 for his funeral.