NHS refusing treatment to child who attends private school.

[floralcarpets]

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/boy-denied-treatment-nhs-hospital-private-school-kingston-richmond-b1231805.html

AIBU to think this is disgraceful? The mum is likely paying loads of tax which goes towards the NHS and pays for state schools, yet her child is this treatment which they sound like they desperately need.

My DC's SEN tutor explained to me that most private school SEN parents pay three times for their children's education. In their taxes, school fees and then tutoring fees to top-up what the private school doesn't provide.

You have been lucky (or chose well!) with your indy school.

Its a bough in service. The state schools are buying it in, the private school isn't. My child cNt go to private school if I don't pay fees, yours can't have advisory teacher time paid for by the state schools.
Your child's private school can but the service in. If our child has an EHCP it might form part of section F provision in which case the LA would fund it. But if they don't qualify for an EHCP the schools (like state schools) fund it themselves.

I've read the thread, thank you very much. Just because the setup is lawful doesn't change the fact that the law is unfair. As I said, it's an operating model designed to discriminate.

nope read ALL the words. This is an LEA funded clinic operating in an NHS building. The service is paid for from LEA funds not NHS funds

The whole concept of private schools discriminates against those who can't afford it.

You are happy with Theo's when it benefits you, and you are complaining now you are on the receiving end.

It isn't unfair when state schools have opted in for its services but not all private schools do. That's down to the private schools that don't opt in and parents who opt out of state school funding.

Private schools cannot hop into LEA schools and take or make use of the stuff paid for by the LEA. If they want more chairs, a swimming teacher, if they run out of loo rolls, they can't just go and take from the LEA supplies or take from the LEA budget to buy them. Children who go to private schools can access NHS funded services via NHS routes.

I've got literally no skin in the game, never needed occupational therapy and got private healthcare anyway.

I have and i still think this is wrong

agree

Do show me where, on this NHS website, underneath the big NHS logo at the top, it says this is an LEA funded clinic.

https://www.kingstonandrichmond.nhs.uk/services/service-search-z/occupational-therapy-children-richmond

In the link.

''Children and young people of school age can be referred via their School SENCo for assessment if they attend a state-funded Richmond school and have a Richmond or Kingston address''

The state funded bit might be a clue.

True. I haven’t needed the services so wasn’t fully aware of the extent of services covered by this policy. By adding VAT labour have drawn attention to it.

Nope, this doesn't explain why an NHS clinic is closed to private school children, it only says it actively discriminates against them. They are not a private provider who can pick and choose their clients.

Parents should have done their homework then

Because it is paid for by the LEA which the parents have opted out of and the OT's at that clinic don't attend private schools for assessment.

Private schools can opt in but they aren't required to. It isn't discrimination to not allow private schools to use something funded by the LEA. Other options are available.

Can I just rock up to a private school with my son and start using their swimming pool for hydro sessions without paying?

Apologies, but I’m not familiar with every policy/legislation in the UK. Good for you that you are.

Completely different as one is funded by the state and one is funded by an individual. You don’t get to opt out of paying tax.

" The specialist unit had written a letter to her GP, which said they were “only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools”.

When A (person or organisation) "commissions" B (person or organisation) to do something, it can just mean A has asked if B would do it. However, often there is some money or gift given to B as part of the "commission". If I "commission" a painter to paint my son's portrait, that definately implies that I have paid the painter something or will pay the painter something for the portrait.

In this scenario, I would strongly suspect that in some way the clinic had been FUNDED to supply mainstream schools. It is common for county education departments to pay for a service to run for their children, or for individual schools or academy trusts to buy in to a service to let their children have access to it.

When the unit said they were "only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools" it literally meant the money the government provided to mainstream schools was how the clinic was funded and therefore it wasn't fair for the clinic to serve a child not in a mainstream school, because they would be using money allocated for the kids attending mainstream schools locally to attend to pay for that child. In the decision to send your child to private school, what other services that school will provide and how your child will access them needs to be a consideration.

All state school funding and NHS funding is ultimately provided by the tax payer. If this taxpayer funded clinic is saying only certain taxpayers kids can access the service, that’s not fair. When you opt out of state school you don’t opt out of thevNHS. This clinic provider seems to think you do. I really can’t understand people not thinking this is wrong.

Its not an NHS clinic. Its an LEA clinic which uses an NHS building and facilities which it probably pays to use. Its not uncommon for non NHS organisations to pay to use NHS facilities at times when they would otherwise stand empty.
When the mother received the notice that her son would not be seen by therapists at the unit – based at Ham Clinic (pictured) and part of Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust – she said: 'I knew straight away something wasn't right because we have used this service before' I suspect that the lady in question had attended that building before to access NHS services.

Exactly.

You can't opt out of state school and then cry unfairness when you expect something commissioned by money for state schools to pay for a child at private school when money in that area is stretched enough as it is. LEA money rightly doesn't go to private schools, they need to pay for it themselves.

for the umpteenth time this is not an NHS funded service, its an LEA funded service. Yes its all funded by the taxpayer but different services can't just pop along to a service and say we have run out of money give me some of yours.

For the umpteenth time, the source of the funding is neither here nor there, it all ultimately comes from taxpayers funds. Health services should be provided to all equally, regardless of what pot the money may have come from.

they don't pick and choose. The LEA comissions them to see certain children for whom the LEA has an educational responsibilty. ITS NOT AN NHS funded service.