The Bellingham Practice ADHD services September 2024, written by Dr Julia Pennington
We are committed to supporting patients in relation to assessment and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a safe way and we are following local integrated care board (ICB) guidelines to ensure safe prescribing of medication. Due to the recent increase in demand for these services, waiting times for the NHS are long and this has led to an increase in the number of private providers.
For assessment and management of ADHD, there are 3 routes currently available:
1) Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) is our local NHS mental health trust. This is our commissioned NHS ADHD service provider. We will refer patients for assessment and if asked will engage with a shared care protocol to take over prescribing of medication when safe and appropriate to do so in line with the shared care protocol for monitoring.
2) Private providers. There are many private services offering assessments for ADHD and prescription of medication. There is no way for us or the ICB to be able to assess the quality, efficacy and safety of these providers and therefore to ensure patient safety, we will not be engaging with any shared care protocols with these providers. Anyone who wishes to self-refer to a private provider will need to be aware of the costs of assessment and ongoing prescriptions. If this is no longer possible, we will refer you to CNTW where you will be placed on the waiting list for re-assessment and after this will be eligible for NHS prescriptions if deemed appropriate.
3) "Right to Choose" ADHD independent providers. These are private providers that have an NHS contract somewhere in the country (but not in Northumberland). Our local ICB have run a due diligence process for Psychiatry UK, a "Right to Choose" provider and ensured this is a safe and effective service and therefore we are willing to engage with Psychiatry UK in a shared care agreement for ongoing prescribing of medication. Again, due to concerns regarding safety and efficacy of assessments and prescribing practices we are following ICB guidance and will not be willing to enter into a shared care agreement with any other "Right to Choose" provider.
Julia Pennington September 2024. Review date: September 2025