A LITTLE boy has been flown thousands of miles to get vital, life-changing therapy.

Now his father is calling for more NHS funding to help two-year-old Angus and other children with similar conditions.

Angus Grocott was born in the fast lane on the A120 and starved of oxygen for an hour. He suffered a major brain injury which left him with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

His devoted parents David and Jessica said Angus was offered three hours of physiotherapy a year leaving them no choice but to seek private treatment elsewhere.

David, from Little Bentley, said: “His frontal lobes – the area of the brain responsible for learning, intelligence and personality were not touched by his injury.

“He is essentially an in tact two-year-old boy trapped in a body that doesn’t currently work.

“He receives zero speech input despite this being the crucial phase in his development. We are trying to regrow neural pathways lost when he was without oxygen.

“The UK is aware of the power of early intervention to build these pathways.

“Children like Angus will only cost more in the long term without the benefit of early support.

“We will not just sit and watch our son lying helpless on the floor.”

Speech therapy is not generally provided for children under three although North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group agreed to fund Angus as a special case.

However, he has still had no sessions so far.

In the absence of therapies in Britain, David and Jessica have appealed for help to raise funds for him to receive physio and speech therapies abroad.

They have been overwhelmed by the support of friends, family and strangers who have been touched by Angus’ plight.

David said: “Unfortunately the care package we have had to put in place in the absence of an NHS offer costs approximately £50,000 a year.”

Enough money has been pledged to enable the youngster to travel to the United States and Canada for specialist therapy.

One supporter is Deborah Sparling, 43, who works with Angus’ uncle John.

Deborah has Multiple Sclerosis but despite the symptoms of the condition, which include severe fatigue, she will run the London Marathon in Angus’ name next year.

“MS-UK is a massive charity and lots of people raise money to support it,” she said. “If anything happens with me I have support from a nurse and a neurologist.

“For little Angus, each treatment has to be self-funded.”

She added: “It will be a struggle. Because I am relatively able-bodied people look at you and they think you’re perfectly fine.

"Some days I can feel like I am 400-years-old.

“I have known John for 11 years and I remember the day he came in to work after Angus was born.

“I just think about how frightening the whole thing must have been for them and it was a no-brainer to help as best I can.”

While Angus’ parents are hugely grateful for the support they receive, they believe things should be different in a country with a nationalised health service.

“We do have sympathy with the hard working and well intentioned people of the NHS, but it cannot be right that Angus and children like him are just left in the position where they cannot move or speak,” said David.

Vicki Decroo, deputy director of transformation at the NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Angus has been known to us since he was born and we fully understand the significant challenges he and his parents face.

“Speech and language therapy for children who are less than three-years-old is commissioned through the CCG’s community service provided by Anglian Community Enterprise.

“This is available to children who have an identified health need that cannot be met by a health visitor or through the support, advice and activities of a children’s centre.

“In such cases support is provided by one of the four integrated care teams for children’s services, which include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and therapy assistants.

“Eligible children will be offered care plans that ensure the care they receive is co-ordinated and specific to their need and that of their families.

“Angus has received both physio and speech and language therapy from us as recently as last month.

“We offer services to children from birth. As a general rule, pre-school children are offered one physio session per month but more can be offered should this be deemed clinically appropriate.

“These services are provided in places deemed appropriate for the child concerned which may be governed by where they live.

“Speech and language therapy is determined on a needs basis but we constantly review our provision for individual children.”

To donate to Deborah’s marathon effort, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/deborahsparling2020.