A PORT mum has hit out at hospital chiefs after her six-year-old daughter's chemotherapy was delayed for the third time.

Little Rosie Veronica Mitchell is fighting neuroblastoma after two relapses and any delay could affect her recovery.

Her mum Donna-Louise Hurrell says the vital treatment at the Royal Children's Hospital in Glasgow was postponed because of drainage problems.

She said: "Rosie was due to get chemo but it was delayed due to issues with bacteria in the drains at the new sick kids hospital in Glasgow which made it unsafe to deliver chemotherapy.

Donna-Louise, 40, of Kingston Dock, said: "This may not seem a huge issue to some but because of the type of cancer Rosie has and its aggressive nature any delay could have effects on outcomes for her."

Donna-Louise, who lives with Rosie, husband Ross Mitchell and twin sons Lucas and Dylan, said: "I have to take Rosie in and out of the hospital via the adults discharge lounge to avoid potential infection risk from building work on the cladding.

"While as in-patients we have also had to move rooms due to ongoing specialist cleaning and had to put up with noisy building work directly outside Rosie's room."

She says when politicians visit it's all 'gloss and smiles for the camera speaking about the wonderful state-of-the-art hospital.'

She said: "They don't know or choose to ignore the half of it.

"Its a disgrace there is no long term solution to ongoing problems only temporary after temporary measures.

"I know we are in a time of austerity and this impacts on services but to me this seems more to be a result of poor decisions being made at a national level with regard to the new hospital.

"I do feel for the doctors and nurses and even local management as they get the brunt of it but its not really their fault."

Donna-Louise and her family have launched a campaign to pay for life-saving treatment abroad for Rosie, as her treatment options in the UK are limited.

The local community, touched by her plight, has rallied round and more than £50,000 has been raised to help Rosie's Fighting Fund.

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said that there had been problems with the water supply in the 2A and 2B cancer wards and some patients were affected by bacteraemia, bacteria in the blood, during the first six months of the year.

Metal taps were replaced with plastic ones and drains cleaned with chlorine based detergent.

The ward was cleaned with Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour (HPV).

This worked but more recently there have been six new cases.

An Incident Management Team has been set up to investigate the build up of biofilm in the drains only seven weeks after they were cleaned.

Meanwhile patients will need to be moved to allow experts to investigate.