Decision Report 201304134

Summary

Mr and Mrs C complained to us on behalf of their teenage son (Mr A), following his stay in an adult psychiatric unit. They complained that he had been held in the adult unit for an unreasonable length of time, that he had been given medication without their consent, that he had been denied the company of his mother on his transfer to another unit, and that their complaints had been inappropriately handled.

We began our investigations, including discussions with the Mental Welfare Commission who had also looked into Mr A's care and treatment. However, during the course of our investigations, Mr A moved away from home, and was not in contact with his parents. Therefore, we took the decision to close the complaint in line with our procedures, as we had no way of contacting him, and considered that we no longer had his consent to share his personal information with his parents.