NHS Reverses Policy on Free Tuition for Sick Private School Pupils After Media Exposure

Public bodies accused of discriminatory practices against privately educated children have reversed their policies after being exposed by The Mail on Sunday. The revelations sparked widespread criticism, with some likening the actions to "ideologically driven class warfare."

In one instance, parents were charged £115 per hour for hospital tuition for their sick children simply because they attended private schools, while patients from state schools received free tuition. This policy was overturned last week following the newspaper's exposé, with parents crediting the publication's campaigning.

A London NHS trust also reversed its policy after initially refusing to treat an eight-year-old boy due to his private school enrollment.

The Mail on Sunday previously reported that children on cancer wards at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh received free tuition as inpatients only if they attended state schools. Parents of fee-paying schoolchildren were required to pay the £115-an-hour charge. Finn, who spent months on a cancer ward at the hospital, was denied daily schooling from a tutor funded by the Labour-run Edinburgh City Council, while other children received it.

His mother, Kirsty, a lawyer, described the policy as "deplorable" and "divisive ideological" and stated it discriminated against families who paid the same taxes as other parents. She expressed gratitude to The Mail on Sunday for highlighting the policy.

The Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, previously exposed by the publication for denying treatment to a boy with a joint condition, also backed down. The boy's mother had attributed the trust's actions to managers being emboldened by the government's stance on VAT relief for private school fees. The trust eventually reversed its policy, and the boy has since received treatment and an apology.

However, the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust maintained its decision not to treat an eight-year-old boy with a speech defect because he was privately educated.

An NHS England spokesperson stated, "Access to NHS services should be based on clinical need, and not an individual's background or ability to pay."