THE mother of a boy who threatened suicide as he waited nine years for an autism diagnosis has branded a report into a failing system as "too little too late."

Figures were revealed yesterday which showed that children and young people across the area are waiting up to three years to receive an autism diagnosis.

The report highlighted a number of failings within the system which is denying children in Barrow access to vital mental health care.

Consultant and associate medical director for the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Raj Verma, welcomes the report and said he was now set on righting the wrongs of the past.

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However Beth Burton, of Suffolk Street in Barrow, says it is too late for many families in the area.

She said: "It's too little too late. They broke my son. I have a child that can't go out.

"I hope that things will change. For all the families out there going through this I wish every one of them the best but they've said all this before."

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Miss Burton lost all faith in the system after her nine-year-long battle to get a diagnosis for her autistic son, Michael.

The now 16-year-old has been battling demons all his life and has even threatened suicide twice when he was just eight and nine years old.

Michael was first assessed when he was four years old but after results came back as "inconclusive" Miss Burton was forced to seek a second opinion but was blocked by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Cumbria (Camhs).

She said: "The whole experience was just horrific. Especially with Michael doing what he was doing and saying he wanted to die. It was just horrible.

"The worst thing about it is that you start to blame yourself.

"The time it takes them to decide that there might be something wrong, you start to wonder if it's you.

"I always knew there was something wrong: you don't have a child who's trying to kill himself for no reason.

"I just felt helpless. Totally helpless. No-one was listening and no-one wanted to listen."

However, the report has signalled a new wave of hope as people across the area hold out for results.

The National Autistic Society has welcomed the report and believes it is the first step to better mental health care in Cumbria.

Janine Wigmore, area policy officer for the North of England at the National Autistic Society, said: “The National Autistic Society has been working locally for several years to raise serious concerns about the poor autism diagnosis and post-diagnosis support service for children in Cumbria.

"This independent review is therefore very encouraging and demonstrates that Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust recognises that improving this service is an absolute priority.

“Restoring families’ confidence in the service is, rightly, the report’s primary recommendation. Families have told us how these unacceptable delays have made an already difficult time for them and their children much worse. They’ll need to be confident that there are going to be real changes, so it’s vital that parent groups are involved in developing the new service as the report recommends.

“We look forward to working with local families and the trust to help realise their ambition to transform the service into one of the best in the country.”