Fury grows over the NHS staff who are turning away sick private school pupils
Wes Streeting was urged to 'act swiftly' yesterday after a child was denied vital treatment because he goes to a private school.
Head teachers called on the Health Secretary to step in after the eight-year-old was unable to access occupational therapy for his hypermobility syndrome.
The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents most private schools, said pupils should receive 'equal access' to NHS care regardless of whether they are fee-paying.
The intervention comes after The Mail on Sunday revealed the family of the child, who asked to remain anonymous, believe a 'two-tier system' is now at play.
They say the Government's attack on private school pupils, which prompted the new VAT on fees, has 'filtered' into the NHS.
However, the Department of Health said yesterday any suggestion school choice was a factor was a 'miscommunication'.
According to the boy's mother, he was referred to a paediatrician at Kingston Hospital in south-west London after she noticed he was 'struggling to hold the pen well enough to write properly', along with other mobility issues. At the hospital appointment she was asked to fill in a form which asked: 'Where does your child go to school?'
She was hoping to get an appointment with Richmond children's occupational therapy service that would have been the 'most important stage' of his assessment. However, days later, she received a text message saying the child had been 'declined' the crucial next appointment with occupational therapists.
She then discovered the specialist unit had written to her GP, seen by the Mail, saying: 'We are unable to see this child as we do not provide a service to school-age children who attend an independent schools [sic]. We are only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools.'
The boy's brother had been treated for the same condition without issue several years ago.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the ISC said: 'Any child coping with ill health should receive equal access to NHS services. We would urge the Government to act swiftly to ensure no child is denied care they are entitled to.'
A spokesman for parent group Education Not Taxation added: 'Parents pay for these services through their taxes, and their children have the same right to these services as other children. We urge the Government to end this discrimination and ensure equal access to these services.'
Yesterday, a spokesman for Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust said the boy had not been denied treatment because of his school – a prep in Kew. They said occupational therapy services are provided to all children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), regardless of their school.
EHCPs entitle children with special needs or disabilities to state-funded support and care, and are issued by councils. However, they are rationed due to funding shortages.
For those without an EHCP, some state schools provide an onsite NHS occupational therapy service. The spokesman added: 'We are sorry if the wording of our correspondence has caused upset and confusion; we will amend it.'
It is understood anyone without an EHCP who attends a private school would not be able to use onsite services at state schools.
But there remained questions last night as to why the child was not treated at source by the NHS and instead expected to seek care at a school site.
It comes after the Mail revealed other similar cases.
These included the mother of an autistic girl in Somerset saying her daughter was denied access to NHS mental health services, and was told: 'If you can afford the school fees, you should pay privately.' It is also understood a child in Norfolk was refused a standing frame by the NHS because he went to private school.
And young cancer patients from private schools had to pay £115 an hour for tutoring in an Edinburgh hospital's wards, while it is provided free to state school pupils by the city council.
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