A YOUNG mother who was viciously beaten by her ex-boyfriend and left virtually unable to breathe through her nose has been refused NHS funding for surgery.

Rebecca Beattie, 25, suffered horrific injuries when she was assaulted by Bradley Scot Want at their home last year. He was jailed for 16 months and Rebecca was left with physical and mental scars.

She was diagnosed with a grossly deviated septum, splayed nasal bones and fractures, and a surgeon told her she needed corrective and cosmetic surgery. However, she was turned down for the necessary funding by an exceptions panel which assesses treatment applications.

York Central MP Hugh Bayley has taken up her case, saying it illustrates how York patients face missing out on treatment because of unequal funding allocations and NHS cash shortfalls.

He hopes to make law his NHS (Right To Treatment) Bill, designed to end “postcode rationing” of health services.

Rebecca, who has a four-year-old son, said she cannot breathe through one nostril and can barely breathe through the other, making sleep difficult. Her family and friends are raising money towards private treatment, but this is expected to cost about £5,500.

“I just feel the NHS’ decision is shocking – it wasn’t my fault I received these injuries,” she said.

“It’s not just the physical damage. Every time I look in the mirror, I have a constant reminder of what I had to endure. I want to move on, and this is the last thing holding me back.

“The NHS recently paid for somebody to have breast implants, which cost about as much as my surgery would. It’s difficult to even blow my nose, and getting a cold is a nightmare.”

Rebecca said that if the NHS rethinks its decision, money raised towards her private treatment will be donated to a women’s refuge. She said: “Hugh Bayley has been really helpful, because he also believes this is shocking and is doing a brilliant job for me – I just hope the NHS will listen.”

Writing in The Press below, Mr Bayley said such cases “show just how distressing it is for patients who are refused treatment”. He said he had raised her case with the Vale of York CCG, which replaced NHS North Yorkshire and York this month, and has lobbied Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt over shortfalls in York health funding.

The NHS Commissioning Board, which decides on health funding, has said 2013/14 allocations include a “real-terms uniform increase” to all CCGs, allowing them to “maintain stability”. It said a fundamental review will be completed in time for 2014/15 funding.

A spokeswoman for the Vale of York CCG said: “At this stage Vale of York CCG is unable to comment but is currently working with colleagues who provide support in the form of the Individual Funding Requests panel to understand the details of this case.”