A Lincolnshire surgery has apologised to a family after giving a baby the MMR jab by mistake.

Jacob Hunter had been taken to the Birchwood Medical Practice in Lincoln to have stitches removed from his chin.

But a nurse assumed he was there to have the controversial injection.

His mother, Debby Hunter, says they now face an agonising wait to see if he is adversely affected.

She leant over to him and just injected my little boy without any word of warning

Debby Hunter

Jacob Hunter was taken to his local GP to have three stitches taken out after he fell down an escalator a week earlier.

But a nurse at the health centre assumed the youngster, who was just a year old, was there for his measles, mumps and rubella jab and vaccinated him in the leg.

Mrs Hunter, 27, of Binbrook Close, Lincoln, said she and her husband Richard had not decided whether to allow their son to have the combined vaccine because of fears over its possible link with autism.

Informed consent

The surgery set up an investigation into the incident, which took place on August 28, and said the nurse in question had been disciplined.

Senior partner Dr Martin Latham wrote to Mrs Hunter to apologise.

He said informed consent should be obtained on each occasion a vaccine was administered.

He said: "We regret the incident that occurred and we apologise for what happened."

'Agonising wait'

Mrs Hunter said the triple vaccination was administered without any word of warning.

She said: "She leant over to him and just injected my little boy without any word of warning and without any of the normal questions you are normally asked."

She added: "It is now an agonising wait to see if he is all right."