Axed: the NHS heroes who cared for Cameron's disabled son

But now husband and wife ambulance drivers Jack and Doreen Ingram are being made redundant.

In a speech last year, the Conservative leader hailed the couple as unsung heroes, saying: "They're not just drivers, they're carers, helpers and friends to all those whose lives they make easier."

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He also spent a day with them to find out more about their role.

Last month the pair were told that they would lose their jobs because the specialist Cheyne Day Centre in West London was being closed by Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust.

The Ingrams had taken four-year-old Ivan, who suffers from cerebral palsy, to the centre for two years.

Mr Ingram, 61, said: "We're both shocked and very upset to find ourselves out of a job. We loved working with the children at the day centre and we worked hard to ensure that they and the parents trusted us totally.

"It's a difficult job. The children need constant attention and care and we're both medically trained.

"It's an enormous responsibility. We've devoted years to helping the NHS, and feel we've been simply cast aside without a second thought."

Mr Cameron said last night: "Jack and Doreen have both been absolutely brilliant and have always been really good at getting Ivan to school. This is very sad."

The Ingrams claim they were summoned to a meeting last month by their employer, Olympic South London (OSL), which is contracted to provide ambulance drivers for Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust.

They say they were told by OSL's finance manager Henry Bilinski to expect to be made redundant shortly.

Mr Ingram said: "It feels like we were the last to know the Cheyne Day Centre would close. It shut its doors on October 19 and we were told only the week before."

The couple say they have been invited to a dinner at Mr Cameron's home this month to mark the closure of the centre.

Mr Ingram added: "The Camerons knew the centre was being closed, so the last time they saw us they said goodbye and told us they would miss us.

"We'd been driving Ivan for two years and we'd got to know David and and his wife Samantha. We got on with them very well. In the mornings, when we arrived to pick up Ivan, David came out and chatted about the weather.

"He told us whether Ivan was having any fits or if he'd slept well. He often had fits on the journeys so we had to be very vigilant around him.

"Now that Doreen and I are out of a job. I'm sure David will be angry after all the praise he has given us."

A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust said: "We are assessing the future viability of the services for children with complex needs. In October, the last three children using the Cheyne Day Centre moved on to school placements.

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"The trust is satisfied that the needs of children who might have been considered for referral to the centre can be better met by personalised packages of care outside hospital."

OSL refused to comment.