Apology issued from NHS Borders over ADHD diagnosis delay

A health board has apologised for the "unreasonable delay" in diagnosing a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A parent complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) over NHS Borders' actions.

It found an initial refusal of a referral was "reasonable" but rejecting a request for a second opinion was not.

It told the health board to apologise and make changes to avoid any repeat incident in future.

The case was taken by the child's parent to the SPSO after an initial referral was rejected and a request for a second opinion refused.

A diagnosis of ADHD was eventually made but not until "some years" later which it was argued was an "unreasonable delay".

The SPSO took independent advice from a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.

It found that while the initial refusal of the referral and first assessment were reasonable, the decision to refuse the request for a second opinion and further assessment was not.

It upheld the complaint and ordered the health board to apologise.

It also said that a second opinion should be offered when an initial assessment found some indicators of a developmental disorder.

NHS Borders confirmed that it had issued an apology to the family.