| Mandy Muir’s fight to change legislation following her daughter Annabel’s battle with flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly) could be passed into law by the Scottish Parliament.
Mandy handed over a 15,000-signature petition in May calling on the Executive to ensure skull abnormalities in babies are properly recognised and treated.
Mums want better advice on flat head syndrome and for £2000 helmets to be available on the NHS. Helmet therapy can be used to help the skull form roundly while it is still developing.
Mandy returns to parliament tomorrow hoping her fight for a law change has paid off.
“We are going back to parliament to hear what the Executive’s intentions are regarding the petition we submitted last May,” she said.
“We are hoping legislation will be changed to include mandatory checks at birth and eight weeks and, if plagiocephaly is diagnosed, correct advice on repositioning be given to parents.
“This crucial advice avoids the need for the expensive, private treatment parents have to presently seek. Parents are unaware of preventative steps they can take as they are not being advised when their babies are newborn.
“We urgently need midwives and health visitor’s to give all new parents this advice as the incidences of plagiocephaly and the need for helmet treatment will drop dramatically.”
Mandy’s daughter Annabel was diagnosed with plagiocephaly at five months. Now 20 months old, the infant has just finished 45 weeks in her helmet, which reshapes the head as it grows.
But this treatment is not routinely available on the NHS. Mandy saved for three months to fund helmet therapy privately in Leeds. This cost £1850 plus around £2000 travel expenses to pay for trips for consultations. Many others are forced to seek fundraising help.
“We are also looking for helmet treatment to be available on the NHS,” said Mandy.
“If a child has a squint eye they will receive corrective surgery and a child with squint teeth will be given a brace so surely a squint head merits treatment.
“We will continue to campaign for these changes for as long as it takes and hopefully we will see them sooner rather than later as babies lives are being ruined in the process.
“NHS Scotland are producing a leaflet solely on plagiocephaly for all new parents, which is a huge step forward, but leaflets are often not given out or left unread.
“I cannot stress the importance of legislation being changed. Hopefully this is the feedback we will receive on Tuesday.”
Annabel started wearing her helmet at eight months old and the family noticed a difference within two weeks.
By the end of her 45 weeks of treatment, all issues have been corrected and her head is now just 6mm misaligned — said to be the norm.
Mandy’s website is available at www.plagiocephalycare.org |
