The parents of a little girl with complex needs claim they have faced a long-running battle to get adequate care because she has been “neglected” by health professionals.
Andrea, 28, and Alan Shearer, 31, claim the health board failed to diagnose their daughter Summer with a number of disorders which have left her unable to eat properly.
The four-year-old finds it difficult to swallow or chew and has been living on crumbled up Weetabix, formula milk and smoothies.
Her mother says lumpy food with a texture will make her sick, and has done since she was six weeks old.
But when she approached health visitors with her concerns, Mrs Shearer claims she was told that it was a behavioural issue due to autism rather than a medical problem.
After attending several medical appointments with the health board, the family flew a specialist occupational therapist up from England to observe the child and offer a second opinion.
Mrs Shearer, of Huntly, who gave up work to look after her daughter full-time, said: “The OT found Summer has low (muscle) tone, hypermobility, sensory-based motor difficulties, dyspraxia, oral dyspraxia and an uncoordinated suck, swallow and breathe (pattern).
“All these things were making eating for Summer nearly impossible.
“The OT was able to pick up on all this within five hours. We have sought help from the NHS for over four years and never received answers.
“It has completely neglected Summer.”
The young child still has to be fed in a baby’s highchair, sitting at an angle with her knees tucked up to her chin to prevent her from choking.
Several specialist highchairs have been supplied by NHS Grampian to help Summer eat, although her mother says they have all been “totally unsuitable”.
Mrs Shearer said: “The chair that she sits in has been in use since she was six months old and she is now far too big for it.”
The mother fears that the family may soon have to resort to tube feeding as the only option to help her daughter eat.
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said staff were working with the parents to provide the “the best possible care” for their child, and that occupational therapy, speech therapy and mental health specialists have all seen her.
She said: “The family are clearly unhappy with the level of care we are providing for Summer and we are sorry to hear that.
“We are in regular contact with the family and want to work with them to provide the best possible care for Summer.
“Our feedback service can carry out a more formal investigation of her case if the family wishes; they can be contacted by phone, email or letter.”
