ASHYA King “should not be treated” at a Southampton hospital if he returns to the UK, according to its boss.

The family of the five-year-old claims he is cancer free after they removed him from Southampton General Hospital last year against doctors' advice and took him to Prague for specialist treatment after successful brain tumour surgery.

And Fiona Dalton, chief executive of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the General, has sent a letter to the Kings' local MP Mike Hancock recommending Ashya not return to their care because of the strain between staff and the family.

The letter said: “If the King family choose to return to the UK we would advise it would be Ashya's best interest for care to be provided by another organisation.

"Relationships between the family and clinicians are very important in paediatrics and we believe an ongoing relationship could be better developed with another hospital.”

Daily Echo: Ashya King with his parents Brett and Naghmeh

But the letter also said the trust “always had Ashya's best interests at heart” and would help in any way it could to find Ashya an alternative hospital.

Mr Hancock, who represents Portsmouth South, backed the hospital's stance and said it was the right way forward for both parties.

He said: "The hospital has given an assurance that they will provide help in finding another organisation to care for Ashya.

"This is a step in the right direction because they have recognised that the family have lost confidence in them.”

A spokesman for the trust said the letter was sent in December and that UHS is no longer responsible for Ashya's ongoing care and reiterated it would try to find another hospital if needed.

The spokesman said: “We therefore do not anticipate that we would have any involvement with, or responsibility for, any decisions made about the family in the event of a return to the UK. 

“The body we believe to have ongoing oversight of the safeguarding and welfare of Ashya is Portsmouth City Council and its safeguarding children's team.”

The letter has prompted an angry reaction from Ashya's dad Brett, 51, who said the family feel “exiled”.

He added: “It's really worrying. How can we come back if this is the attitude of people in authority?”

The family, who live in Southsea, also want written assurances social services in Portsmouth will not take any action against them should they come back to the UK as they fear Ashya may be taken into care.

But Portsmouth City Council said it was “not a council matter” should the family choose to return while Hampshire Police has also confirmed there are “no policing issues” to stop them coming back.

As reported by the Daily Echo, the family claimed Ashya “would not have survived” if he had been left under NHS care at the hospital, although bosses at the General said conventional treatment carried a similar survival rate as the specialist proton beam therapy Ashya received in Prague.

Ashya was taken out of the General last August after his parents disputed the best course of treatment.

The Kings fled the country via a ferry and went into hiding in Spain, sparking a major police operation to find the family as Ashya's health was considered at serious risk.