A mother has vowed to continue fighting for access to medicinal cannabis used to treat her daughter’s severe epilepsy.

Teagan Appleby's family has been told the private doctor who currently prescribes the Aylesham teen’s vital medicine is retiring – putting access to two currently-unlicenced drugs in jeopardy.

Her mum, Emma Appleby, fears the 13-year-old’s condition will worsen if she is unable to take the marijuana-derived treatments, which have to date proved successful in treating her symptoms.

Because the products are not currently approved for prescription on the NHS, her family has been forced to go private and pay as much as £2,000 each month for the medicines.

Before receiving the drugs, Teagan suffered from as many as 300 seizures a day and was regularly admitted to hospital.

“She’s been like a different child, her quality of life has massively improved,” mum Emma said of the impact of the treatment, first available to Teagan in 2019.

“Basically it has changed her life.

“For us it’s a massive blow, because there is only one other doctor in the UK that prescribes for epilepsy, that we know of, and his books are closed – he is not taking new patients on – I don’t know what we are going to do.

“We need to try to get the NHS and the government to step in and do something about this because they are the ones that can fix this – and they’re not.

“The government are saying it’s down to the NHS, the NHS are saying it is down to the doctor, and the doctors are not getting the backing from their Trust. This is where the problem lies.

“The Trust are not supporting doctors that want to prescribe and that’s where we are finding a blockage.”

Ms Appleby has been campaigning for five years to secure the medicinal cannabis treatment her daughter requires through the NHS, but still little progress has been made.

She has also appealed to her MP, Natalie Elphicke, for support in her fight.

In November 2018, the law was changed to allow the prescribing of unlicensed cannabis-based medicinal products in certain circumstances. But health chiefs say more still needs to be done to test treatments for effectiveness, safety and value for money.

Ms Appleby said: “I’m not going to give up. It’s not just about Teagan – it’s about all children and adults that need this medication.

“You shouldn’t have to fight for a medication which is legal in the UK and that keeps people alive. I am not going to give up, I am going to keep on fighting.”