SALT report has been lost

[catphone]

If you got your child privately diagnosed and the place that diagnosed them have lost the SALT report, but that child is older now and can’t communicate or socialise due to not getting SALT support, what can you do? I’ve been advised I can sue but not sure how

Presumably they are struggling with communication because of their difficulties not because of a lost piece of paper? Why don’t you have copies of all the assessments carried out? Who did you think was holding copies of all the paperwork?

Yes but I only have part of it and it was an extremely long waiting list for support years and years the place that assessed lost the report

No actually it was the council that lost it

Why did they only provide you with part of a report?

I have a short non comprehensive summary of the report that stated they come across as having more ability than they have due to impulsivity in answering, confidence and a bigger vocabulary. It mentions lacking reciprocity in conversation and lacking inferential comprehension also hinted other issues that need to be explored. A system error lost the salt report along with a number of other patients medical records and they are unrecoverable. I’m having trouble getting salt support now for the issues that were never dealt with and a new assessment will need to be done

In reality a new assessment would be needed anyway and much more useful as it can show where you are now. I think use the summary as evidence of reasonable expectation of need.

I’d also say given they’ve bungled record keeping that it would be a good idea to ask for copies of everything they do have.

Can you explain further?

DS was diagnosed with something privately?
The diagnostic process involved a SALT assessment?
You or someone else sent the SALT report to the council?
DS didn’t receive support previously?
The council has now lost the report?
DS isn’t now receiving the support he needs?

If the council are the ones who have lost the report, does the private provider who diagnosed DS not have a copy? Or the GP? Some private providers send diagnostic reports to the GP. In the future, request a copy of the complete report. Why was the report sent to the council? Were the council sent the report via email? If so, does the sender have a record? How has the council lost the report?

Support is based on needs rather than diagnosis. A private diagnosis wouldn’t automatically result in ongoing SALT support. If DS needed ongoing SALT support and you couldn’t afford or didn’t want to continue with private healthcare, was an NHS referral made? Does DS have an EHCP?

If the previous assessment was undertaken some time ago, a new SALT assessment would be needed for ongoing SALT support now.