Decision Report 201404437

Summary

Mr C complained the board had wrongly diagnosed his son (child A) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD - a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness) and was concerned about the medication that had been prescribed.

Mr C was also unhappy that he had not been consulted before child A was assessed and diagnosed. He complained that crucial information provided by him had been disregarded by the board’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Mr C was also concerned that entries concerning him and his family in child A’s medical records, which he disputed, may have impacted upon the diagnosis of ADHD.

We appreciated Mr C’s intention throughout had been to achieve the best outcome for child A. We took independent advice from an adviser who is a consultant psychiatrist in child and adolescent mental health. The adviser said that the assessment of child A appeared to have been comprehensive and balanced, taking account of the information available at the time, and was in line with the relevant national guidance. The adviser considered that the diagnosis of ADHD and the medication prescribed to child A were also appropriate. The adviser could find no evidence that the disputed entries in child A’s medical records about Mr C and his family had influenced the diagnosis. We accepted that advice.

Taking account of all the evidence, we did not find the board had inappropriately diagnosed child A with ADHD and so we did not uphold Mr C’s complaint.