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Case ref:201706469
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Date:May 2018
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Body:Borders NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:policy / administration
Summary
Mr C complained to us that the board had unreasonably refused to accept referrals for his child (child A) to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). There were concerns about child A's anxiety and that they possibly had symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mr C felt that the board had not provided adequate reasons for the refusal and had based their decision on events of some years ago.
We took independent advice from an adviser in mental health services. We found that the board's decision that child A did not satisfy the criteria for CAMHS was reasonable. Whilst child A had displayed some symptoms, they were not persistent in nature and their condition was variable at times. We did not uphold the complaint. However, we provided the board with feedback that they should have provided Mr C with more clarity of the exact rasons why they felt a referral to the service was not appropriate at that time.