A DAD says his young son is being prevented from getting the specialist help he needs because of a “postcode lottery” in Health funding.

Isaac Keighley, four, was born with a rare genetic disorder and needed a bone marrow transplant as a baby to increase his life expectancy.

Although the transplant and surgery helped ease his condition, called Hurlers Disease, which affects his body’s ability to break down complex sugars, Isaac still suffers problems related to the condition, including behavioural and learning difficulties.

His paediatric consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital said Isaac could benefit from seeing another leading expert who specialises in using medication to control mental health illnesses in youngsters.

But 18 months after the recommendation, Isaac is still waiting for a referral because no health trust or commissioning body has been able to decide who is responsible for the funding.

Isaac’s dad, Joe Keighley, 39, said: “We have put in so much effort to try and get Isaac the help and attention he needs and we’re dealing with it from the parental side, but we would have thought that 18 months later, we’d have got somewhere by now.

“No-one seems to want to take ownership or responsibility for Isaac’s case and, in the meantime, his behaviour is definitely getting worse.

“We’re stuck in a limbo being pushed from team to team and it’s causing huge problems for us.

“It becomes a complete postcode lottery of where you live as to whether there’s funding or effective care.

“It’s a pinball machine, it’s all a gamble.

“I don’t think there’s some top secret elixir that will solve all our problems, but it would be another tool in the box to deal with them”

Isaac, who lives with his mum Carolina Lavery, 34, in Campernell Close, Brightlingsea, was referred by Great Ormond Street Hospital back to his GP in August 2009. His family was told that was because the GP needed to refer Isaac to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS), which in turn, needed to secure funding and refer him to Dr Paramala Santosh, a child psychopharmacologist at the hospital.

Mr Keighley, a firefighter in Clacton, said it took the GP three attempts to refer Isaac to CAMHS before the service would give him an appointment.

CAMHS later said it could not send him to Dr Santosh because it believes Isaac has learning difficulties and not a mental illness.

Other attempts to get money through the Mental Health Commissioning Team West Essex and the East of England commissioners have so far been fruitless.

Mr Keighley said: “Any child that gets referred by a main hospital, like Great Ormond Street, back into the community is being thrown back into the lion’s den when it comes to funding.

“A lack of clear process and professional ignorance has left us feeling completely let down, frustrated and I believe the PCT has failed us.

“The NHS is a great service to have but it’s frustrating when you can’t access it.”

Peter Richardson, a spokesman for NHS North East Essex, said: “This is a very complex case which is under review.

“We will ensure Mr Keighley is contacted and notified of what can be done in terms of treatment to help Isaac.”