An outraged mother has accused the NHS of "shocking discrimination" after her eight-year-old son, who attends a prep school in Kew, was denied vital treatment just because he goes to private school, according to the Daily Mail.

The woman's son was referred to a paediatrician at Kingston Hospital after she noticed he was "struggling to hold the pen well enough to write properly", along with other mobility issues.

At the hospital appointment she was asked to fill in a form which asked: 'Where does your child go to school?'

Days later, she received a text message saying the child had been 'declined' the crucial next appointment with occupational health therapists at Ham Clinic in Richmond.

According to the Daily Mail, the mother soon discovered that the specialist unit had written a letter to her GP saying: "We are unable to see this child as we do not provide a service to school age children who attend an independent schools [sic]. We are only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools."

The boy's older brother – who has the same condition, hypermobility syndrome – had been treated without issue several years earlier.

Their mother, who wishes to remain anonymous while her son's case is "in limbo", told the paper: "I have never been refused treatment for my children – until now. There is clearly a two-tier system at play.

"'I have complained bitterly and asked who created these eligibility criteria and where it says in the NHS constitution that it's OK to discriminate against independent schoolchildren."

She blames Labour's VAT raid on private school fees for emboldening the NHS to deny her son help with his crippling joint condition.

The parent said the alleged "Orwellian" treatment of her eight-year-old child was a blatant breach of the health service ethos of offering equal treatment for all.

She added: "If you discriminate against children because of the school they went to, where does it end?

"I have complained bitterly and asked who created these eligibility criteria and where it says in the NHS constitution that it's OK to discriminate against independent schoolchildren."

The woman, who runs a small business with her husband, said the rejection was part of an "anti-private school zeitgeist".

She added: "Labour's dislike of independent schools is filtering down into the NHS and that is very damaging.

"In cases like my son's, they are effectively discriminating against children who are disabled and against some of the most vulnerable members of society. This is going to affect a lot of children if it is a new NHS protocol.

"Many people will not want to send their children to independent schools if it means foregoing NHS treatment."

Tory MPs described the move as 'morally indefensible' and a symptom of Labour's 'vile class war'.

Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP and shadow schools minister, said that the cases "seem like incredibly unfair discrimination".

He said: "How can it be right that children with disabilities are denied services by the NHS because they attend a certain school?"

Shadow equalities minister Saqib Bhatti added: "We must not allow this quasi-Marxist class war to take root in our public institutions and certainly not in our NHS."

And Greg Stafford, a Tory member of the Health and Social Care Committee, commented: "Care should be based on clinical need, not a postcode or a parent's school choice."

There were 582,477 pupils in independent schools in January, around 11,000 less than the same point last year, official figures show.

The website of the Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, states: "Children and young people of school age can be referred via their School SENCo for assessment if they attend a state-funded Richmond school and have a Richmond or Kingston address."

A spokesman declined to the Mail to address specific claims that private pupils had been discriminated against but "apologised if the wording in our correspondence caused upset. We are in the process of revising it to ensure greater clarity."

He added: "Occupational therapy services are available to all school-age children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) either through the NHS or the local authority. For children without an EHCP, advice may be available through existing NHS services provided in state school."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman told the Standard: "The story is not true. NHS services are free at the point of use to all.

"NHS occupational therapy services are provided for all children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). For those without an EHCP, some schools provide on-site NHS occupational therapy.

"The Trust has apologised for any miscommunication in its correspondence with the family and is amending its wording to avoid any confusion in the future."

The Daily Mail reports of similar situations happening across the country.