"I write this in utter desperation"

My child who is now 8 years old was referred for Autism/ADHD assessment in April 2019. After 18 months we had one telephone call and then referred for assessment to neurodevelopmental service as the pediatrician advised they no longer diagnose. This was in October 2020 and they referred him to the Neurodevelopmental service at Newmains Health Centre. 

I have called on numerous occasions to see where my child is in relation to the waiting list, on the first occasion in January 2021, I was advised that they were working with children who had been referred in May 2019, (if my child had been referred correctly he would have been seen by then) it has been 19 months since then and they are now only working with children referred in August 2019. We are losing all hope. 

My child is currently in crisis and during this long time since referral has unnecessarily deteriorated. Gone from being a fun-loving bubbly child to a withdrawn child who internalises his distress. 

I have been calling the service on 01698 687 490 daily for the past week and leaving messages with my child's name, DOB, and contact details and no one has gotten back to me. 

Further to this as we are so desperate to get him help we have saved and attempted to go for a private assessment as I suspect that the majority of the issues facing him at the moment are due to ADHD, and I know that this can be treated by medication. The private provider will only asses the child if the GP enters into a shared care agreement where they sign the prescription if medication is required. Even though the private provider uses NHS Consultant Psychiatrists specialising in children my GP has refused this. The provider will do all of the assessments, the medication titration, and any physical health checks required.  We feel we are hitting barriers everywhere we go and we are powerless to get our son the help that he needs. 

I write this in utter desperation that someone reads it and is able to help us help our son.