A DUNFERMLINE mum claims "it feels like a postcode lottery" deciding the level of care her son receives after NHS Fife failed to diagnose his cell disorder.

Yvonne Greig, 42, says her 11-year-old son Ciaran has been unwell since he was a baby – with flare-ups involving three weeks in bed due to internal and external swelling – but that local doctors struggled to uncover what was wrong.

It wasn't until last year when Yvonne and her husband, Kenny, decided to visit a private BUPA clinic in Glasgow that Ciaran's condition was identified as a mast cell disorder, where mast cells gather in body tissues, such as the skin, internal organs and bones.

At that time the family, who live in Duloch, were asked to carry out blood tests at their GP practice, Primrose Lane Medical Centre in Rosyth, at a cost of £96.

These were completed at the time but now, a year later, Yvonne says the private clinic has requested a second set and, despite payment, the NHS lab has refused to run one of the tests for Tryptase measurement.

She explained: "We went and got the bloods done, paid £96 for them, and then the surgery phoned and said the labs were refusing to carry out one of the tests.

Dunfermline Press: Keen footballer Ciaran (centre) with his sister Kaitlyn and brother Ewan. Keen footballer Ciaran (centre) with his sister Kaitlyn and brother Ewan. (Image: Family photo)

"Apparently they will only check it if a child is anaphylactic at the time.

"So our private doctor got in touch with an email but they still refused and said they don't do it in Fife, they may in other places, but not in Fife.

"So we are battling between going to Glasgow for treatment of something which should have been discovered through the NHS and paying every time we see the doctor over there, paying for labs, paying for blood tests, when it should have been getting done through the NHS in the first place.

"He's 11 years old and it's something he is going to have for the rest of his life, you think surely now they know what's wrong with him, why can't they treat him?"

Ciaran is prescribed his medication by his GP, but has to travel to Glasgow for each appointment, at an estimated cost of £1000 to his parents over the past year.

He will now have to make the journey again for a second set of bloods.

Yvonne said: "We will pay whatever we need as long as Ciaran is well, but it's got to the point now that you think, he's going to have this for life, they're doing the prescriptions, why can't they do the tests?

"It feels like a postcode lottery of if you're going to get treated or not.

While medicine currently keeps symptoms at bay, Ciaran, a keen footballer, has missed around 30 per cent of his schooling due to flare-ups and relies on treatment continuing.

It has also been difficult for Yvonne and Kenny to continue to travel to Glasgow regularly, with two other children, Ewan and Kaitlyn, at home.

Yvonne contacted Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alex Rowley for advise, and he has has now written to the chief executive of NHS Fife.

The Labour politician expressed his concern about the difficulties faced by the family in accessing services for Ciaran, adding he was currently awaiting a response from the chief executive.

NHS Fife said it was unable to comment on the care of individuals for reasons of patient confidentiality, but confirmed that tryptase testing may be carried out in Dundee when required.

Director of Acute Services, Claire Dobson, said:"Tryptase measurement is a form of immunology test and is not currently carried out locally in Fife.

"Where tryptase testing is required, patient samples can be sent to the immunology laboratory at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee."