Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment – Referrals and Medication

The person who needs to initiate the referral will depend on the education age of the child:

Pre-School – The referral is to be discussed with the Childs Health Visitor or Early Years Setting – they can be contacted by calling:  0300 555 0606 

School Age – The referral is undertaken by the school

Home Schooled Children – the referral is undertaken by the GP

Supporting evidence will be required regardless of who is initiating.

If the NHS Mental Health Team confirm a diagnosis of ADHD, they may initiate treatment and may 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.

For an Adult ADHD referral, you must first complete the Adult ADHD Questionnaire. Once completed, please return the questionnaire to the surgery—either in person, by post, or via email at ivelmc.reception@nhs.net. After submitting the form, contact the surgery to book an appointment with a clinician to discuss and initiate the referral. (Please see Questionnaire below)

requesting an ADHD assessment, we will send you a self assessment questionnaire and a lifestyle questionnaire to you. Once returned, we will book you a 30 minute appointment with your GP to discuss onward referral. If you have a heart condition we will also invite you for an ECG before your GP appointment.

Due to the unprecedented demand for ADHD diagnosis and treatment nationally and locally across all age groups, all referrals are sent to the Biggleswade CMHT (Bedfordshire) to determine the clinical appropriateness for referral / assessment triage.  Those not meeting this threshold will be referred back to their GP with self-help and signposting. If the referral is accepted, the waiting times is currently over 5 years in Bedfordshire and Luton.

If the CMHT confirms a diagnosis of ADHD, they may initiate treatment and may offer medication; initially this will need to be obtained directly from the specialist consultant. Once they are confident you are stabilised on the medication, they may feel it is appropriate for you to obtain their medication from the GP Surgery. 

In order for us to prescribe this type of medication, they will need to send us a Shared Care Agreement. 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, we are only able to continue prescribing and monitoring a patient if a Shared Care Agreement with an NHS provider is in place.

Under NHS England’s Right to Choose legislation, patients can request referral to certain NHS-approved providers.

For ADHD assessments in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK), the only NHS-approved Right to Choose provider is Psychiatry-UK.

This means we can refer you to:

• Local NHS services (such as Spring House or the Community Mental Health Team), or
• Psychiatry-UK under Right to Choose.

If you choose another ADHD provider, this would be a private arrangement. Any diagnosis or treatment started privately would remain under the care of that provider, as we cannot enter into shared care agreements with private clinicians.

Things to be aware of

• A diagnosis from a private provider may not automatically be accepted by local NHS services. If you later wish to transfer your care, you may need to undergo a new NHS assessment.
• GPs are not required to enter into shared care arrangements unless there is an NHS-approved agreement in place.
• In BLMK, shared care is only supported with local NHS services or Psychiatry-UK.

For more information, visit ADHD UK – Right to Choose.

If the referral is not accepted, we will contact you to inform you of the decision and offer you the opportunity to provide additional evidence for a resubmission. If the resubmitted referral is also declined, we will notify you and signpost you to relevant organisations that may be able to offer further support.