Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Referrals and Medication

If you are concerned or suspect that you may have ADHD and would like to be referred to the NHS for an ADHD assessment, please see below the guidelines for adult and children ADHD referrals.

NHS ADHD Referral – Adult (18 years+)

For adult ADHD referrals, please book a routine appointment with your named GP to discuss your symptoms and a potential onward referral. Prior to your appointment, please complete the ADHD checklist (link below) to include current symptoms and any evidence of onset ADHD symptoms in childhood, which should be brought to your GP appointment.

This will help the GP to have an understanding and assist them in raising a referral if deemed appropriate to Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT).

ADHD Adult Referral Checklist

This can be obtained from your GP’s secretary if you do not have printing facilities and we always encourage that you take copies of these forms for your own record keeping.

Due to the unprecedented demand for ADHD diagnosis and treatment nationally and locally across all age groups, the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board have implemented an interim complexity threshold arrangement for Adult referrals. This interim measure is intended to ensure that those patients most in need are prioritised and that those who can self-manage are supported to do so. The surgery will continue to send referrals as normal and these will be triaged by the Single Point of Access Team. Those not meeting this threshold will be referred back to their GP with self-help and signposting.

Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board have created a document which contains a number of useful websites and self-help reading resources, available to you.

Adult ADHD, Patient Information and Self-Help Resources – HWEICB

NHS ADHD Referral – Children

If your GP feels it is appropriate, they may refer your child through the NHS for an ADHD assessment. For child ADHD referrals, supporting evidence of symptoms from both the parents and the school is required for the referral to be submitted.

The forms which need to be completed for inclusion are accessible at the following links:

Parent Form – ADHD

School Form – ADHD

This can be obtained from your GP’s secretary if you do not have printing facilities and we always encourage that you take copies of these forms for your own record keeping.

Once the forms have been completed, please book a routine appointment with your child’s named GP to further discuss a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) ensuring you bring your forms.

ADHD Diagnosis via NHS Pathway for Children and Adults

Due to demand the current waiting times are about three years.

If the NHS Mental Health Team confirm a diagnosis of ADHD, they would initiate treatment and might offer medication; initially this will need to be obtained directly from the specialist consultant. Once the Mental Health Team are confident the patient is stabilised on their medication, they may feel it is appropriate for the patient to obtain their medication from the GP Surgery.

In order for us to prescribe this type of medication, the Mental Health Team will need to send a Shared Care Agreement to your GP. This is an agreement with an NHS Consultant for the GP which stipulates any monitoring needed to continue to prescribe the ADHD medication safely.

Please note the GP is only able to continue prescribing and monitoring a patient if a Shared Care Agreement with an NHS provider is in place. This is due to guidelines set by Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Private ADHD Diagnosis

You may choose to be referred to a Private Provider for your ADHD assessment due to the long waiting times for an NHS appointment, or simply out of preference. In this instance, the prescribing and monitoring of any medication must continue under the care of the Private Provider.

We are only able to take over prescribing ADHD medication which has been started by an NHS service once we have an NHS Shared Care Agreement. This is due to guidelines set by the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board (HWEICB) who has no local policy with Private Providers. They state:

• A patient must be diagnosed with ADHD by an NHS specialist, who confirms that the prescribing of ADHD medicine is in line with NHS criteria.

If the patient wishes to transfer their ADHD treatment to the NHS, they will need to be referred to the NHS mental health specialist team for assessment and confirmation of their ADHD diagnosis. The NHS consultant will ascertain whether the NHS criteria for a prescription of ADHD medication has been met.

If this criterion is met, a Shared Care Agreement can be formed between the NHS consultant and the GP. Until this is established the clinical responsibility of prescribing and monitoring of the patient, and their medication should remain with the Private Provider.

NHS ‘Shared Care’ Medicines Prescribing after Initiation by a Private Provider

(NHS) Shared Care Agreement

A Shared Care Agreement is an agreement between the patient, the NHS specialist, and the NHS GP, enabling the care and treatment for a specific health condition to be shared between the hospital and your GP. This will only occur with your agreement and when your condition is stable or predictable.

A Shared Care Agreement contains information about your medicine, guidance on prescribing and monitoring and the responsibilities of the patient, the NHS specialist, and the NHS GP.

Please note there is no legal obligation nor mandatory requirement for a GP to enter into any Shared Care Agreement.

Information for Patients – Shared Care Agreements for Medicines

Further information

For further information on guidance set by our Integrated Care Board, please contact the Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Team (PMOT) for South and West Hertfordshire, which is part of Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board.

• Website: Contact us – Hertfordshire and West Essex NHS ICB
• Email: hweicbwe.patientfeedback@nhs.net
• Telephone: 01992 566122
• Postal address: NHS Hertfordshire and West Sussex Integrated Care Board, Charter House, Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6JL