THE father of an Irvine toddler who died before getting a heart transplant says new figures prove the NHS is operating a ‘Postcode Lottery’ which is costing children their lives.

Two-year-old Leo Williamson spent months on the “urgent” transplant list, but tragically lost his fight for life in March after his parents Sharlene, 37, and Gary, 38, were constantly told there was no room for him at Newcastle Freeman Hospital - Scotland’s closest transplant centre.

But new figures obtained by the Irvine Times reveal that since 2013 - the year Leo was born - three times more children from the North East of England were given transplants than children living in Scotland.

The figures, obtained by us under the Freedom of Information act, prove that while just three children in Scotland, under the age of five, were given vital heart transplants between 2013 and

2015, a staggering nine children, in the same age category from the Newcastle area, had their lives saved by having transplants at the Freeman Hospital.

Irvine Times:

All of this despite Scotland having a population of almost 5.3million - more than double the size of the North East’s 2.6milion.

Today devastated Gary said this unfair ‘Postcode Lottery’ approach was costing children their lives.

He said: “Children are losing their lives having not been given a fighting equal chance because of where they are born. In my opinion the children from the areas near the transplant centre get faster referrals, get listed quicker increasing the precious time you have on the list.”

But Gary says while the figures show the outlook is grim for Scottish children, it seems to be even worse the farther afield you go with only one child in the whole of Northern Ireland receiving a heart transplant at Newcastle Freeman Hospital during the same time period.

He said: “I looked at the document and although it is Scotland that is our main concern, Northern Ireland seems to be worse off than Scotland.

“Only one transplant carried out in three years.

“That’s quite incredible and I would think it adds weight to the theory that the closer you are to the transplant centres, the better off you are.”

Leo and twin brother Kai were born on September 2, 2013 and a scan confirmed what had been picked up at Sharlene’s routine 20-week scan when the boys were still in the womb.

Leo had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - meaning only half his heart was functioning.

At just two-weeks-old Leo underwent the first of three planned open heart surgeries at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children.

The operation was a success and Leo proved to be a little battler and was allowed home to his parents, brother Kai and big sister Lauren, 15, in Pennant Place, Montgomerie Park, just a month later.

Irvine Times:

But in January 2014 during routine tests to check pressures on Leo’s heart, a blockage was detected and medics planned to correct it during his second surgery - to be carried out when he was between four and six-months-old - with the final surgery planned for when he was around four-years-old.

Leo finally received the second operation much later than planned on June 24, 2014 when he was 10-months-old, but it was not a complete success and surgeons were not able to correct the blockage.

Despite suffering heart failure in July 2015, Leo wasn’t put on the ‘urgent’ transplant list until October that year.

By this time medics had deemed Leo as the child in most need of a heart in his category in the whole of Britain.

But despite his parents fighting to have him treated at Newcastle Freeman they still refused to take him.

Astonishingly - whilst Leo was classed the most sick heart patient of his category in the country - five children from the North East were given transplants at the Freeman and one child from Scotland.

Little Leo never received one.

Tragically, time ran out for the brave tot and he lost his fight for life on March 5 this year - a full five months after being classed as ‘urgently’ needing a transplant.

Leo’s family are now hoping for an investigation into the tot’s care.

And they are awaiting full disclosure of his medical records to see if different decisions should have or could have been made. 

Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, where Leo was treated, declined to comment when contacted by the Irvine Times.