A mother is appealing to parliament for the NHS to make parents aware of treatments for flat head syndrome after her one-year-old daughter developed the condition.

Eastern Daily Press: Jo Spratt is appealing to the government to take note of flat head syndrome. Picture: Jo SprattJo Spratt is appealing to the government to take note of flat head syndrome. Picture: Jo Spratt (Image: Archant)

Plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome, is when a side of a baby's head becomes flat after continued pressure on the area.

Jo Spratt, 33, from Thorpe St Andrew, has launched a petition to get the issue raised in the House of Commons after her one-year-old, Lilith Blake, started receiving treatment by wearing a helmet.

This was not offered or suggested on the NHS in Norfolk when the condition was diagnosed.

The James Paget Hospital children's nurse said: 'If you talk to any parent whose child has the condition they are fixated with the head shape, being different to what it should be.

Eastern Daily Press: 18-month-old Lilith Blake wearing the helmet designed to fix her flat head syndrome. Photo: Jo Spratt18-month-old Lilith Blake wearing the helmet designed to fix her flat head syndrome. Photo: Jo Spratt (Image: Jo Spratt)

'I went and had a private opinion in Cambridge which is how Lilith got the helmet.

'There are a lot of families out there who do not know about the condition, clinics or the treatments.'

The condition is caused by babies spending time lying on their back or when pressure is applied to their heads for a long time.

Miss Spratt took Lilith to see her health visitor where she was told her head would correct itself and to keep her off her back as much as possible.

What she was not advised about was a method of treatment involving a helmet that would allow the skull to grow into the correct shape before the bones fused.

But because the condition is considered cosmetic, this was not offered on the NHS and she had to pay £2,050 for private care.

The single mother has teamed up with other parents who have children with flat head syndrome to raise awareness, have the issue discussed in parliament and screenings put in place,

Using social media she hopes to gain more than 2,000 signatures.

She added; 'A lot of children who are older than two have asymmetrical heads and because they haven't had treatment they can't get it corrected.

'There should be health specialists with the right information to get them helmets or screened.

'We want the government to take a top down approach to make health professionals at the very least give information out about treatments and allow parents to make a decision.'

For more information go to Plagiocephaly: Action for Change UK on Facebook.