Falklands boy, 6, is refused cash for operation in Shropshire
The family of a six-year-old boy who was due to travel to Shropshire from the Falklands for a life-changing operation are fuming after being told the funding for his treatment has been withdrawn.
Kailand Ford was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which means he can only walk on his toes and cannot straighten his arms.
He had been due to make the 15,000-mile round trip from his home in the Falklands for an operation at Oswestry's orthopaedic hospital on April 29, which would have allowed him to live a normal life.
But last week his family were told the NHS had declined to fund the procedure, despite Kailand having undergone five trips to Oswestry for treatment over the past two years.
His grandmother Margaret Armstrong said: "Kailand will be doomed to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair if he does not get this operation.
"When he was diagnosed, during his first year, his parents were told that he would never walk. Nevertheless, through regular physiotherapy and sheer pluck he has learned to walk, if only on his toes and with the help of a walking frame.
"He now needs a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). This is a rare procedure and only two hospitals in the UK provide it."
She added: "Until April 15, his operation on April 29 at Oswestry was assured. His family had booked their flights. His mother and father had taken six months off from work and locums had been hired to take their respective places. Accommodation in Oswestry had been hired. A school place had been secured for Kailand's older sister, Kia.
"Then just a week before Kailand and his parents were to fly to the UK, Midlands NHS chose to decline to fund this operation. This decision goes against the reciprocal agreement between the Falklands and the NHS.
"If Kailand lived in the UK he would have had had the operation by now. However, Kailand lives in the Falklands. This has meant regular 15,000 mile trips to the UK. Five times since 2012 he and his mother have made the journey to Oswestry. Before that they made regular trips to the John Radcliffe in Oxford."
Mrs Armstrong said: "His consultant, orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Roberts, has recommended this procedure for Kailand and is certain that it has a strong chance of being successful.
"However, Mr Roberts believes that this operation should take place within a three-month window of May, June and July this year. If it does not happen within this time period, Kailand will need other operations on his joints, which will be even more expensive."
Tim Fernandez, spokesman for NHS England, said: "We understand how difficult this is and sympathise with the family who feel they may benefit from this treatment. However the current evidence base does not yet demonstrate sufficient effectiveness for its routine use and we need to be assured of this."
He said the decision was not based on any personal factors and added: "Ideally the family would have been told when the decision was made by NHS England at the end of 2013, but the passing on of information would have depended on how the initial application for surgery was made."
