Rod Stewart praised by fans after paying for boy’s autism diagnosis following three-year wait

Rod Stewart has been praised by fans after he paid for the autism diagnosis of a child who had spent three years on the NHS waiting list in Scotland.

The singer stepped in after reading about the case of four-year-old Iain Gregori, who is non-verbal and is due to start school this September. His father, Michael, had spoken to the Daily Record, which has been highlighting the lack of medical appointments for children with conditions such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, about how he feared his son was “lost in the system”.

The case was highlighted by Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar told MSPs at first ministers’ questions on Thursday (1 May), who said: “Rod Stewart heard this heartbreaking story and stepped in to pay for Iain’s diagnosis. Others won’t be as lucky — why, on [first minister] John Swinney’s watch, do young people have to rely on the charity of a rock star to get the treatment they need?”

Stewart – who was knighted in 2016 for his services to music and charity – said he was working with his team to locate an appropriate private specialist for Iain, either in Scotland or London.

The rock star, 80, has been praised by fans for his gesture, with one writing online: “Thank you for what you did for little Iain, I just finished reading the article. I salute you sir.”

“Plenty are lost in the system, well done Rod,” said one fan, as another said, “Well done Rod! One less child on a waiting list.”

Gregori, a lifelong Stewart fan, said of Stewart’s gesture: “I honestly did not expect this. I am in awe of him because he wants to help a normal family like ours. The fact he is offering to help shows how serious this problem is. It is incredible he wants to help us.”

The “Maggie May” singer told the Daily Record: “All his mum and dad have to do is get a referral letter to whoever that specialist turns out to be. Of course, all the costs will be down to me.”

He added: “I’ve been very successful in my career and blessed so far with good health. I am a knight of the realm and I believe I should continue to do charitable work because that’s one of the reasons I was knighted.

“I also have seven children who are all blessed with good health so I can’t imagine what it must be like for the boy’s parents.”

The National Autistic Society in Scotland has since said in a statement that “nobody should have to rely on Rod Stewart’s help to receive an autism diagnosis”.

“Many children and young people in Scotland are waiting months, or even years for an autism assessment, which is completely unacceptable,” they said in a statement.

“Receiving a diagnosis can be life-changing, and in some cases life-saving, for some autistic young people as it can be very difficult for families to access support without one. Every effort should be made to extend the availability of autism assessment in Scotland to get people the support they need and deserve.”

First Minister John Swinney has been challenged on figures released this week, which found a child in the NHS Lothian area has waited six years for treatment.

“We are working to reduce waiting times for access to treatment for individuals across the health service in Scotland and we are making progress in a number of areas in relation to that objective,” Mr Swinney said.

“The Government has delivered increased investment in mental health support to expand capacity to meet the developing needs that there are among young people in Scotland,” he added.

“I want to make sure that our investments are well targeted to address the issues that Mr Sarwar put in place, that’s why we increase the funding for mental health support and that’s why we are putting in place the assistance that we are putting in place around the country.”