A CORONER has raised concern over poor communication between a college and an NHS mental health service after a teenage boy with ADHD took his own life.
Henry Grierson, 17, was found dead in April this year, three days after he was expelled from Huddersfield New College.
Henry, of Rastrick, near Brighouse, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when he was 10, but stopped taking medication for the condition when he was 14.
He had discharged himself from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in November 2023 and from addiction organisation Recovery Steps in April.
The inquest heard the college's safeguarding team were not aware of the discharges.
Following the report, the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said CAMHS will identify where it can learn and improve, while the college said it would welcome "anything that would support enhanced communication between organisations such as CAMHS and schools and colleges".
College staff did not have up-to-date information about his health, an inquest at Bradford Coroners' Court heard.
Coroner Angela Brocklehurst warned the college may not have been aware of how vulnerable he was.
In a Prevention of Future Death Report, Mrs Brocklehurst said it was a "matter of concern that communication between the college and CAMHS and Recovery Steps was not seemingly maintained to enable an awareness by the college of the current mental health" of Henry.
Now Henry's heartbroken mum Ruth Grierson, 52, is calling for colleges to "prioritise neurodivergent student's mental health".
She described him as a "talented, remarkable young man" but claimed he "struggled in an environment that treated his needs as problems rather than seeing him as a student who needed understanding".
Mrs Grierson said he said he felt "isolated and rejected".
She added: "We want to see reform that prioritises mental health and provides neurodivergent students with support that keeps them engaged and included."
"As was stated in the Regulation 28 Report, the College was not informed about Henry's decision to withdraw from CAMHS.
"We would welcome anything that would support enhanced communication between organisations such as CAMHS and schools and colleges, and think that this is a conversation that needs to be had at a much higher level.
"Having clearer guidance about what triggers communications from such organisations would be very valuable clarity for the whole sector."
The spokesperson added: "We have also reviewed how difficult communications are shared with students.
"In this case, as the Coroner Report states, 'Mr Grierson was informed of this decision by way of an email transmission to him which was received in the presence of his father, with his parents having been notified previously of the decision made by the College.'
"We have strengthened our process to work with families to understand how we can share information with a student after an exclusion decision has been made.
"This includes understanding how we share information about topics such as the appeals process."
A spokesperson from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said, "Our thoughts are with Henry's family, friends and everyone affected.
"The care and safety of our service users is our top priority and we will be considering the regulation 28 report to identify where we can learn and improve."
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