A complaint has been made to hospital bosses after doctors failed to spot that a baby boy had meningitis and sent him home.

Five-month-old Finley-Joe Hall refused his usual bottle at 5.30am last Friday morning and was running a high temperature of 39C.

His mum Syrelle Hall, 17, of St Margaret’s Avenue, Holme Wood, Bradford, rang Highfield Health Centre at 8am and was given an appointment at 9.30am with a GP who said her son had a viral infection. The advice was to keep giving Calpol to keep his temperature down.

That afternoon Finley-Joe was in the arms of his aunt, Simone Hall, 21, also of St Margaret’s Avenue, when he went floppy and pale.

She called NHS Direct who arranged for an ambulance to take him to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

He was seen by a hospital doctor who said he had an ulcer or a spot at the back of his throat and that was why he was refusing feeds. Again Finley-Joe was sent home with Calpol.

But at about midnight it was clear he was very unwell. “He was screaming and would not be put down,” said Simone. “He would not open his eyes and he was being sick. When he went floppy in my arms I phoned NHS Direct again.”

They again called an ambulance which took him to BRI and this time he was admitted to ward 16.

“They said he had tonsillitis and also another infection,” said Simone. “They said they would do a lumbar puncture because there was a possibility it could be meningitis. In the meantime they started giving him antibiotics just in case.”

The test confirmed meningitis and, although Finley-Joe is now recovering well, the family believe he could have been diagnosed earlier.

“They should have kept him in the first time and given him antibiotics sooner,” said Simone.

“Finley-Joe is getting better but if we hadn’t have taken him back to hospital that night it could have been much more serious.”

She added: “We would like to thank all the staff on ward 16 and 17 at BRI who did a great job.”

Finley-Joe did not have the distinctive rash often associated with meningitis and his family want to warn other parents to be aware this symptom is not always present as there are different forms of the disease.

Figures from the Health Protection Agency reveal there have been 14 confirmed cases of meningitis in the Bradford and Airedale district in 2009. In 2008 there were 28 cases confirmed.

A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages BRI, said they could not comment on individual cases.

A spokesman for NHS Bradford and Airedale, the trust responsible for health services in the district, said: “We have not received a complaint from the family but we would fully investigate any concerns raised if they were made to us.

“Alternatively, the family can contact the practice manager at their family doctors or the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at the hospital.”