A MOTHER who waited for two hours to have her sick baby treated in hospital watched in disbelief as his doctor rode by on a unicycle.

When outraged Paula Dadswell asked why she had been left waiting, the doctor said he had just bought the machine and needed the practice.

When Miss Dadswell complained, she received a letter from the hospital assuring her that in future all unicycling on the children's ward would be confined to "special occasions."

The anxious mother took six-month-old son James to South Tyneside District Hospital when he fell ill at home.

During a frustrating two-hour wait she watched the young doctor race up and down the corridors of Ward 12 on the unicycle in front of admiring nurses.

The doctor then put down the unicycle, picked up his notes and walked over to assess her baby's condition.

Miss Dadswell, 33, from Jarrow, South Tyneside, said: "We took one look at the doctor and said 'you must be joking'. His face went bright red.

"We had been asking for someone to see James for two hours and we had even told the doctor that he probably shouldn't be cycling around in case he hurt someone."

Miss Dadswell immediately put a formal complaint into the main reception of the hospital in Harton Lane, South Shields, and was sent a letter of apology later that week.

Managers at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust say they have since removed the unicycle from the ward.

The letter said: "All staff have been informed that such activities are to be confined to specific events, eg parties, fundraising activities etc.

"As a children's ward, we strive to combine professionalism with an air of informality and fun aimed at putting children at ease. I accept on this occasion that we did not succeed in achieving this compromise."

Post Office worker Miss Dadswell said: "We asked the doctor what he thought he was playing at, and he said he had not had the unicycle very long and was trying to learn how to ride it. It was totally unprofessional."

Her son was later diagnosed with an ear infection by the family's GP.

Dave Shilton, executive director of nursing and clinical governance, said yesterday: "On the children's ward there is a balance to strike between being professional and light-hearted. We probably misjudged the situation."