Katie Price was left devastated after her local authority refused to fund her son Harvey’s care because he has ‘no healthcare issues’ – after she was forced to withdraw him from a £350,000-a-year college amid her bankruptcy woes.
The former glamour model, 46, revealed how an assessor concluded that her 22-year-old son ‘only needs social care’.
The star’s eldest child is blind, autistic, has septo-optic dysplasia and a learning disability, and is one of the 2,000 people in the UK with Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder.
He is being supported at the residential National Star College in Gloucester, but Katie revealed in March that she was being forced to pull him out because ‘West Sussex Council wouldn’t fund him’ at a college too far from where she lives.
The TV star has spoken publicly about trying to secure Harvey funding for the college as she battles with hundreds of thousands of pounds in outstanding tax bills.
The mother-of-five now fears that her son – whose father is former footballer Dwight York – will be moved into social care. He is set to move nearer to his mother’s new home in Sussex – after she was evicted from her £2million Mucky Mansion.
Giving an update on the situation yesterday, the television personality said on her podcast, The Katie Price Show: ‘The socials came back yesterday, the people who do the funding, and they believe by seeing Harvey that Harvey has no healthcare issues.
Katie Price is going to war with her local authority over her son Harvey’s care
The former glamour model, 46, spoke of her dismay as she claimed authorities had refused funding for the 22-year-old, believing he has ‘no healthcare issues, only social’
‘That he only needs social care. They think he has no health problems so they’re not funding, and want him to live in a social care place.’
Katie explained how Harvey’s doctors and social worker are encouraging her to appeal the decision as she went on to explain his medical difficulties.
She said: ‘So now obviously the doctors and all that are good with me. He has a passport for the hospital, he’s on medicine to keep him alive, he’s cortisol deficient so can go into adrenaline crisis at any time.
‘If he’s ill he ends up in hospital, what are they on about? Anyone out there if you’re in a situation like me, like everyone knows Harvey has healthcare issues, it’s been documented and I’ve done documentaries on it, but they just think it’s behaviour.
‘I’m like ‘are you kidding me?’, and I’m now having to appeal, even his social worker from West Sussex is like ‘you’ve need to appeal it’. They disagree with it. It’s all because of money.
‘I will not be letting Harvey suffer but it looks like he will be coming home. Not home, I mean a place nearer me, up the road. He won’t be able to stay at college after Christmas.’
West Sussex County Council told MaiOnline: ‘This was a decision taken by NHS Gloucestershire’. NHS Gloucestershire have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.
Katie was Harvey primary caregiver until he turned 19. Since 2021, he’s been living independently at the specialist further education institute National Star College in Gloucestershire.
For Harvey to attend the residential college, it relies on much administration and the local authority agreeing to finance it.
The college puts in a funding application to Katie’s local authority which details everything they are going to provide for Harvey. For all-year round residential care, this can be up to £300,000 to £350,000 a year.
The decision is made by the local authority who decide whether to fund it or pick somewhere more local. Katie has to ensure his Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP) – a legally binding document detailing his required support – is up to date.
But in March earlier this year, Katie revealed: ‘I’m having a nightmare at the minute. We were looking for him to stay at his college another year or if not a placement, but [the local authority] haven’t accepted it.
Harvey (pictured in 2021) has been attending and living at specialist institution National Star in Cheltenham since 2021 but he will leave in December
Katie was Harvey primary caregiver until he turned 19. Since then he’s been living independently at the specialist further education institute National Star College in Gloucestershire (pictured)
‘They’ve given me three months that he has to find somewhere else by July. With someone like Harvey you need the transitional move, you need to do it slow. I’m trying to find somewhere nearer or something for Harvey but three months isn’t a long time.’
Katie filmed his move into the college as part of BBC documentary Katie Price: Harvey and Me.
It featured highs and lows for Harvey as he adjusted to living without his mother for the first time in his life.
Last month, Katie’s £2million home was repossessed by court bailiffs. The former glamour model was served an eviction notice for her mansion two months ago.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Katie insisted it had been her decision to vacate the property, and that she had ‘sorted’ her financial issues after being declared bankrupt for a second time.
Katie has since moved into a smaller, rented home in a sleepy Sussex village.
Last month, Katie’s £2million home was repossessed by court bailiffs. The former glamour model, 46, was served an eviction notice for her mansion two months ago
In July 2023, Harvey set an impressive Guinness World Record for the longest drawing of a train.
He had to draw a picture longer than 20 metres, and achieved it when he drew the 21.3 metre-long picture of his favourite train – a Thameslink engine and carriages.
Harvey spent four weeks making the artwork as he is keen artist and train enthusiast – with his favourite train being the Gatwick Express.
Adjudicators from Guinness World Records travelled to the college and with the help of staff, unrolled the drawing in a courtyard to measure it.
After confirming Harvey had set a new world record, they presented him with a certificate in front of his mother, teachers and friends.
The record was achieved under the Guinness World Records impairments initiative, which has been developed alongside Mencap.
The initiative allows reasonable adjustments to be made for record bids to better include people with learning disabilities.
