A mother has accused the NHS of "shocking discrimination" after her eight-year-old son was refused occupational therapy treatment at Kingston Hospital because he attends private school.
The boy, who suffers from hypermobility syndrome, was denied a crucial appointment with therapists after his mother disclosed he attended an independent school in Kew.
She received a text message stating her child had been "declined" the appointment, followed by a letter to her GP explaining that the service is "only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools".
The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, told The Mail on Sunday: "I have never been refused treatment for my children - until now. There is clearly a two-tier system at play."
The eight-year-old was referred to a paediatrician at Kingston Hospital after his mother noticed he was "struggling to hold the pen well enough to write properly", along with other mobility issues.
During the hospital appointment, she was asked to fill in a form which included the question: "Where does your child go to school?"
Days later, she received the rejection text, followed by a letter from the specialist unit stating: "We are unable to see this child as we do not provide a service to school age children who attend an independent schools." (sic)
The appointment would have been the "most important stage" of his assessment, determining the severity of his hypermobility syndrome symptoms, which can include painful and easily dislocated joints and problems with internal organs.
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Kingston Hospital turned away the boy because he attends private school
Conservative MPs have condemned the decision as "morally indefensible" and symptomatic of Labour's "vile class war" against private schools.
Shadow schools minister Neil O'Brien said: "Labour are already piling extra taxes on independent school parents.
"For their children to then be denied vital NHS services, which parents already paid for through their taxes, seems completely unfair.
"How can it be right that children with disabilities are denied services by the NHS because they attend a certain school?"
Shadow equalities minister Saqib Bhatti called the situation "shocking", adding: "Ultimately, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson's vindictive attack on independent schools has legitimised this kind of pernicious discrimination and triggered a class war against our children."
He said: "We must not allow this quasi-Marxist class war to take root in our public institutions and certainly not in our NHS."
The mother described the treatment as "Orwellian", noting that her older son with the same condition had been treated without issue several years earlier.
"At the hospital, I was asked 'Where does your child go to school?' I've never been asked that before.
"It was never relevant so why is it relevant now? The only thing that has changed is a new Government," she said.
Main entrance of Kingston Hospital
The woman, who runs a small business with her husband, blamed Labour's "dislike of independent schools" for filtering down into the NHS.
"If you discriminate against children because of the school they went to, where does it end?" she asked.
"In cases like my son's, they are effectively discriminating against children who are disabled and against some of the most vulnerable members of society."
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust's website states occupational therapy services are offered to "all school aged children who are residents in the Richmond or Kingston boroughs and attend a state-maintained Richmond school."
A trust spokesman "apologised if the wording in our correspondence caused upset" and said they are "in the process of revising it to ensure greater clarity".
A DHSC spokesperson said: "The story is not true. NHS services are free at the point of use to all.
"NHS occupational therapy services are provided for all children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
"For those without an EHCP, some schools provide on-site NHS occupational therapy.
"The Trust has apologised for any miscommunication in its correspondence with the family and is amending its wording to avoid any confusion in the future."
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