Patricia says an investigation needs to look at how services can be improved at Orchard House
A Ramsgate mum-of-four is calling for an investigation into the children and young people’s mental health services at Orchard House in Broadstairs prompted by concerns over the care of her now 18-year-old daughter and fears that vulnerable youngsters are ‘being let down.’
Patricia Casagrande, 38, says her daughter Daisy has had numerous issues with being unable to get her regular medication, sometimes being refused medication renewal, not being prescribed a higher dose despite being told this would happen, not receiving 6-monthly reviews, given prescriptions for an unobtainable medication due to a national shortage and then, when reaching 18 last August, not getting a referral to adult services until March this year.
Patricia says Daisy was then discharged without medication, taking the family extended efforts to gain a 6-month supply.
She has now submitted formal complaints with the PALS service for the North East London Foundation Trust – which previously ran the service until it was taken over by Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust in April this year– the Care Quality Commission and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. She has also contacted East Thanet MP Polly Billington.
She said: “Daisy has ADHD, ADD and Autism traits. She has been with Orchard House since she was 11.
“She was promised they would up her medication but they didn’t, I tried to put in for a review of her medication but that never happened.
“When covid hit it was worse, they were refusing repeat medication because she needed a review but they weren’t doing the reviews.
“Then they refused repeat medication saying we had missed an appointment but we hadn’t.
“They gave us a prescription for a medication that there was a national shortage of so we went everywhere, even Herne Bay, but couldn’t get it.
“When Daisy hit 18 they should have referred her to adult services but didn’t. They said they did but I spoke to adult services and they assured me there was no referral. In fact, there was no referral until March this year.
“Eventually Orchard House discharged her but I had to fight to get six months of medication with the new ADHD nurse saying she didn’t know she had to do that.
“The manager would refuse to speak to me or they would say he was in a meeting all the time. It wasn’t until I said I would go public with my concerns that they had a meeting and Daisy got her medication.
“They should have had a duty of care towards my child, and lots of other children who are being failed. Lots of other people have come forward (since speaking out on social media) to say they have had the same type of experience and it needs to be investigated, why are so many children being let down by these services?
“I’m not looking to get Orchard House closed down, I’m just trying to get them to provide better services and to do that they need to investigate the issues where vulnerable children and young people are being let down.”
In desperation, Patricia took it upon herself to find appropriate care for Daisy, who is now registered with private provider Psicon.
She said: “They have taken her on and they are amazing. We are really happy with them.”
Unfortunately, Patricia says she is going to have to navigate Orchard House yet again with her youngest daughter, aged 10, who has also been diagnosed as ADHD and autism.
Patricia said: “I was told that she would be lucky to be seen by the time she was in secondary school.”
However, the service is now under the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust which took over on April 1.
Patricia says her older daughter, aged 20, was also previously under Orchard House and has never received an adult services referral through them.
‘Confidential health information’
A NELFT spokesperson ( in consultation with Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust) said: “We cannot confirm or deny whether any person is or has been under our care, as doing so would disclose confidential health information and breach UK data protection law and our duty of confidentiality.
“If concerns are raised with our services, they are reviewed carefully and we respond directly to patients and families through the appropriate channels.”