A Markfield mum has claimed Leicester Royal Infirmary gave her daughter painkillers to hide symptoms which had left her "unable to walk", instead of trying to find out what was causing the issue.

Gemma Hudson's daughter, Paige Hudson, 20, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2021.

As part of the illness, she gets pains in her hands and feet – a condition known as peripheral neuropathy.

In recent weeks, the pain in her feet increased to the point where she could not walk, and she was left crawling around her mum's home, near Markfield, Mrs Hudson said.

An occupational therapist came out to see if anything could be done to make things easier for the family, but they concluded it was not safe for Paige to stay at her home, she added.

Paige was transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary on Thursday, February 29, where, Mrs Hudson claimed, there was "problem after problem" with her daughter's care.

She claimed the hospital "did very little" to try to establish the underlying cause of Paige's increased pain, instead giving her pain medication. Paige also had an MRI scan, but the underlying cause of her daughter's symptoms were left unidentified, she added.

Leicester hospitals have said they are "very sorry" the family were not happy with the care received.

Speaking to the LDRS, Mrs Hudson claimed: "All they've done, for 11 days while she's been in there, is give her Oramorph.

"They've just hidden the pain, and she's come out exactly the same as what she went in. On Monday night [March 10], she came home, and they didn't send her out with any painkillers at all, just these muscle relaxants. Tuesday morning, she was crawling around the house again.

"They've done no tests on her legs. They've done nothing. All they've done is this scan on her back. We don't quite know what's going on with her legs. It could go up her body. We're quite worried that she'll just be riddled with it all over and just not be able to move."

Paige and her mum both said that, in their opinions, the level of the care Paige received at the hospital was poor.

They claimed Paige was often left crying in pain, but it would take staff "a long time" to give her anything to relieve it.

They also alleged the hospital did not give Paige her depression medication but then claimed she had refused to take it.

Mrs Hudson shared with the LDRS messages sent by Paige to the family's group chat. In one string of messages, she said, "I'm literally sat here rocking in pain," and, "I'm in agony".

In another, she said: "I ******* hate this hospital. Left me in pain for an hour again. Had to ask three times."

Paige told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she had been left "absolutely disgusted" by her experience in hospital.

She said: "I'd be crying on the phone to my mum every morning, every night, because I was in so much pain. It was getting unbearable."

She added she felt like she was "given no help". She said: "The reason I was admitted was to get help. I feel neglected and not listened to. It's going to keep affecting me day to day because I'm back to square one."

Mrs Hudson said the family was now looking at private treatment for Paige in the hope of getting answers.

UHL medical director Andrew Furlong said: "We are very sorry that Paige is unhappy with the care we provided. Paige's family have been in contact with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service to discuss their concerns, and we will work with them to provide support and assistance in seeking answers to any questions they may have about Paige's care."