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Case ref:201802999
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Date:July 2019
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Body:An NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Some upheld, recommendations
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Subject:appointments / admissions (delay / cancellation / waiting lists)
Summary
Ms C complained about the board's assessment of a referral that was made for her child (Child A) to the child and adolescent mental health services. Ms C considered that it was clear from the referral that Child A had not been appropriately assessed by the GP and that the board had failed to appropriately risk assess the situation based on Child A's history of suicidal ideation and
self-harm. We took advice from a consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry. We found that the assessment and action taken when the board received the referral was reasonable and therefore we did not uphold this aspect of Ms C's complaint.
Ms C also complained about the board's handling of her complaint. We found that there were delays in responding and some information was not provided. We found that this was in part due to the complexity and scope of the investigation, however, we upheld this aspect of Ms C's complaint.
Recommendations
In relation to complaints handling, we recommended:
- As far as possible, complaints should be responded to in a timely manner, and should be responded to in full. Where a complaint is complex or involves more than one service, a process for handling this should be determined from the outset.