"Trying to secure help for my son"

A woeful tale of my dealings with the CAMHS team South who belong to Nottinghamshire Healthcare.  

I have tried to secure the assistance of CAMHS for two years for my primary school aged son who has been diagnosed with ASD and ADHD. My son is presenting with severe anxiety, low mood and suicidal thoughts.  

I have been referred by my GP - rejected, Community Paediatrician- rejected, and finally self referred him on a mission as we were desperate for help.   

This time made it as far as the assessment, the practitioner in CAMHS was very rude, I felt them to be full of self importance and furthermore stated that Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation trust are not commissioned to deal with mental health that results from a neurological condition. They also backed this up saying my son is not capable of working with them - despite the fact they never tried.

This is no game show this is my sons life, CAHMS said oh he won’t try and kill himself at his age but to make sure any hazards are locked away as he could do it by accident. CAHMS said if he’s that bad take him to accident and emergency - is this the expert medical opinion of Nottinghamshire Healthcare or just a few individuals?

We saw three different practitioners none who we felt were qualified to diagnose, only whom were able to point to a pathway ie low mood, anxiety with the agreement of a follow up MDT team (most who have not met my son)   

So fast forward in the same month, my son is rejected by CAHMS I have now secured him an appointment this month (the same month) with a qualified doctor at Great Ormond Street psychiatry Department whom agreed my son has complex neurological and mental health issues and needs urgent help. My sons presentation is the same but I actually got a medical opinion.

I feel they have used covid, lack of funds, patient back logs all as excuses. Nottinghamshire Healthcare are not lacking funding, I feel they need a complete reorganisation and they need to train/recruit qualified staff that want to help children and not look for reasons not too.  It seems to me that their team ask why shall we reject this child and not what can we do to help.      

To those parents out there like me do not loose hope, keep fighting because your children are precious and they need you to advocate for them. I say don’t accept no for an answer, get informed look at the NICE guidelines and learn your child’s right under the NHS legalisation and take complaints higher if you have to.

All I know is that I have now secured help for my son, I have to travel to London and this battle with Nottinghamshire Healthcare had given me a terrible journey that has affected my mental health, all un-necessary.