Vitamin treatment held out ray of hope

Baby Josie Raven has been so ill since birth that at one point her parents were told to prepare for the worse. But her seizures improved after she was sent to Dr Bhatt, writes Louise Jury.

He found that a previous treatment was poisoning the child and thought a vitamin B12 deficiency was linked to her condition. He set her on a course of injections to tackle it.

At 27 months the little girl is still desperately ill. But, for her parents, Roy and Fran, Dr Bhatt was the only person who convinced them he might unravel Josie's case. They are furious at the closure of the unit and the delay in making alternative arrangements. "My real complaint about Chelsea and Westminster is the complete lack of understanding of the urgency of it," said Mr Raven, 37, a teacher in Broadstairs, Kent.

"These are children who are being damaged by 10, 12 sometimes 20 fits a day."

The consultant in charge of her case told Mr and Mrs Raven the fits were "inextricably linked" with the vitamin B12 deficiency. But he cannot continue prescribing the B12 injections, which have proved so useful, because the necessary blood and urine checks cannot be carried out. "It's absolutely monstrous," Mr Raven said.

Mandy Brumskill agreed. Her four-year-old autistic son, Liam, has also been affected by the closure. He is continuing to have B12 injections, but she is alarmed that the specialised checks cannot be done to monitor his condition.

Mrs Brumskill, 32, of York, said the injections had made a significant difference to her son's life. She consulted staff at Great Ormond Street when the unit closed. "But the professor there said it was only the vitamin B12 unit who dealt with the situation. They said it was the only one which understood all the deficiencies."