Members of NHS Wiltshire have expressed concern at allowing Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership  to provide an autism diagnosis service.
NHS Wiltshire went through a rigorous process to identify qualifed providers to supply the service in the county.
Two organisations met the criteria, AWP and Autism Diagnostic Research Centre while a third, Social Enterprise Quality of Life, conditionally qualified.
NHS Wiltshire has previously expressed concern about services run by AWP and as a result is drawing up plans to retender the mental health service contract in Wiltshire.
At a board meeting last week the board was asked to agree that AWP be one of the providers of an autism diagnosis service.
Non-executive director John Holden said: “This is a G4S moment. Why would we want to give them any business at all based on past performance? I just wouldn’t go there.”
Non-executive directors Peter Lucas and Davis Stevens also expressed concern.
But Christina Button, director of commissioning development, said: “There is not a connection between the main contract we hold with AWP and this service. There was a rigorous selection process and AWP met it.”
Director of nursing Mary Monnington said autism diagnosis was a specialist service and said NHS Wiltshire could safely allocate it to AWP.
Non-exective director Lis Woods said NHS Wiltshire would be liable to legal action by AWP if if did not include them as a provider as it had met the criteria.
The board agreed to allow AWP and the other organisations to provide the service.

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