Adult ADHD Referrals
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has introduced a new Adult ADHD Policy:
There are two key changes:
Firstly, for a GP practice to be able to make a referral for an ADHD assessment, the following two conditions must apply:
- The patient's symptoms must continue to cause significant functional impairment in at least two "life domains"; e.g. interpersonal relationships, educational progress and learning, occupational progress and employment, risk awareness and safety, or self-care; AND
- Environmental modifications must have been implemented and reviewed; e.g. changes to seating arrangements, changes to lighting and noise, reducing distractions (for example, using headphones), optimising work or education to have shorter periods of focus with movement breaks, or reinforcing verbal requests with written instructions.
The second key change is that the initial diagnostic appointment in the ADHD assessment pathway should be conducted face-to-face, and a mandatory face-to-face appointment for a physical health review is required before initiating any ADHD medications. These face-to-face assessments must be conducted within 60 minutes' travel time from the patient's home. The physical health review is provided by the specialist service initiating the medication, not the patient's GP practice.
Taken together, this means that patients can no longer simply request a referral for an adult ADHD assessment, & they can no longer request an NHS right-to-choose assessment if the specialist service is unable to assess them face-to-face locally. Right-to-choose is where patients can pick an alternative NHS service if their local service has a long waiting time.
The Corner Surgery is required to abide by any policy set by NHS Cheshire & Merseyside. For further information about why this new Adult ADHD Policy has been introduced, please visit https://cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/your-health/adhd-services-for-adults/. Any complaints should be directed to NHS Cheshire & Merseyside: https://www.cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/contact/complaints/.