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Selected Investigations Completed August 2001November 2001 > Part I, Case no. E.2265/99-00
Complaint against: South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
Summary of case
Mrs G complained that in 1997 a consultant psychiatrist refused to prescribe Ritalin for her six year old son, who had been suspected of having attention deficit disorder, and that he then inappropriately referred him to social services, because of alleged abuse by her. The Ombudsman did not uphold the first aspect of the complaint, because the psychiatrist had exercised reasonable clinical judgment in deciding not to prescribe Ritalin. The Ombudsman also concluded that there were no grounds to question the decision to make the referral to social services, though the letter of referral was insensitive and too definite, and the psychiatrist should have communicated more fully and frankly with Mrs G about it. To that extent only, the Ombudsman upheld the second aspect of the complaint. The Trust apologised.
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