Due to a change in Health Board policy, GPs can no longer start prescribing medications to treat ADHD if the patient has been diagnosed in the private sector.
However, to avoid duplication, if the private diagnostic process meets Health Board requirements, the assessment can be shared with NHS mental health services for review.
The NHS mental health services will then determine whether to initiate treatment.
Once determined, we can continue the medication in GP.
Health board ADHD assessment requirements
Private assessment and diagnoses of ADHD will only be accepted by NHS GG&C if made by a:
- Specialist psychiatrist
- Specialist paediatrician
- Appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD.
The assessment must be face to face or video call.
The assessment must be described in a diagnostic report that includes:
- A full and detailed neurodevelopmental history and description of symptoms the patient experiences
- Personalised comment on why the patient was found to meet the criteria for ADHD diagnosis, including:
- description of the standardised and age-appropriate questionnaires and tools used as part of the assessment process
- Personalised comment on:
- other common neurodevelopmental conditions that were identified as part of the assessment; and
- other common neurodevelopmental conditions or common mental illnesses that were considered and ruled out as part of the assessment
- Evidence of a corroborative history undertaken
- A standardised and age-appropriate functional assessment, describing the patient’s level of functional impairment due to ADHD symptoms.
Referrals for treatment must also include a description of:
- Any comorbid illness
- Assessment of risk e.g. impulsivity and self-harm
- Any offered, previous and/or ongoing treatment of ADHD including behavioural and environmental adaptations the patient has tried.
Where the criteria are not met, patients will be added to the NHS waiting list for formal assessment by NHS GG&C before any treatment is commenced.
Where the criteria are met, the patient will be added to the waiting list for a treatment assessment. These are prioritised by clinical need.