By GEORGIA EDKINS, SCOTTISH ASSOCIATE EDITOR FOR DAILY MAIL AND THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
A mother whose disabled son was left languishing in agony on an 11-month NHS waiting list has slammed Neil Gray and said he is not fit to be Health Secretary.
Vicki Tocher, 34, battled for almost a year to get her eight-year-old son Isaac in front of doctors after he suffered a traumatic brain injury while at school.
Since the incident in June 2024, the once peaceable and happy boy has suffered excruciating migraines, regularly screaming at the top of his lungs for ‘help’ and for ‘Mum’.
The family’s MSP, Roz McCall, has highlighted Isaac’s ordeal twice in First Minister’s Questions – and during the latest exchange, John Swinney promised to organise a meeting between Mrs Tocher and the Health Secretary.
But last night – just days after meeting Mr Gray – the mother-of-three hit out at the embattled SNP minister and said he should not be in his position.
The broadside comes as Mr Gray is at the centre of a fresh ‘limogate’ scandal over his taxpayer-funded chauffeured trips to a pub and after he was last week declared ‘missing in action’ after going on a ‘junket’ to Japan as Scotland’s worst-ever cancer waiting times were revealed.
Mrs Tocher said: ‘This is a man who is more interested in appearing like a celebrity and I have no faith in Neil Gray as a Health Secretary.’
She added: ‘There was no professionalism, there was no empathy, and I have absolutely no faith that Neil Gray can address the matter.’
Mother Vicki Tocher, 34, has battled to get her young son, Isaac, 8, to be seen by doctors
The once contented and peaceable boy has suffered from excruciating migraines and sleepless nights
Asked if he should continue in his role, she said: ‘Absolutely not.’
The family’s ordeal began in June 2024, when Isaac, who has an existing brain disorder and autism, was placed in seclusion by teachers at a primary school near Dunfermline.
He became distressed and started to violently bang his head against the wall.
Teachers, according to a whistleblower account later obtained by the family, watched on and failed to intervene.
Since the horrifying incident, Mrs Tocher has witnessed her son’s condition deteriorate and believes the injuries he suffered have prompted an onset of painful migraines and light sensitivity.
Once a cheerful boy who enjoyed nothing more than singing nursery rhymes with his twin sister, Amaris, and his younger brother Abel, 6, Isaac’s life became isolated while waiting for vital NHS treatment, Mrs Tocher said.
Mrs Tocher agreed to meet with SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray but he was ‘unprofessional’, she says
Mrs Tocher and her husband, Ashley, 34 are pictured with their twins, Isaac and Amaris, 8
In an interview with the MailOnline, she told how he was put on an NHS Fife waiting list for an MRI scan, but only received one last month after an 11-month wait.
She said: ‘Isaac was always full of life, he loved the outdoors. Now if the sun is too bright, he just hides under his duvet. The level of enjoyment in his life has been absolutely debilitated by the one incident, and then further exacerbated by medical negligence.’
After Tory MSP Ms McCall’s latest intervention at FMQs about the family’s case in March, a meeting was set up between Mrs Tocher and Mr Gray for June 12.
During the discussion, she asked Mr Gray to fast-track a move from the NHS Fife health board, which Mrs Tocher fears does not have adequate resources to help her son amid a ‘postcode lottery’, to NHS Lothian for specialist future care.
But she said the Health Secretary – who turned up late for the meeting at Holyrood – appeared unmoved by the family’s plight.
Ms McCall said: ‘It was clear from that meeting Mr Gray hadn’t even read the briefing we’d sent in advance. That isn’t just disappointing, it shows a shocking lack of seriousness or care from a Cabinet Secretary meant to be responsible for Scotland’s NHS.’
Mr Gray said last night: ‘I thank Ms Tocher for taking the time to meet with me and share her views on healthcare for her son.
‘I’m deeply sorry that her experience did not meet the standard we expect of all health boards.
‘It is not appropriate for ministers or officials to intervene in clinical decisions but officials have followed up with NHS Fife on the concerns raised by Ms Tocher.’
