Many school Teachers are directing parents to see their GP to request an ADHD assessment via the RTC pathway in view of the local NHS wait times (which is the long-established norm). This is because Teachers are unable to complete a RTC referral themselves. However, in order for us to make this referral for them, we ask that they undertake and provide you with any assessment in the same way they would for the local NHS pathway that we will use in sending this referral. This does not require an appointment with the GP as this is something the Teacher would ordinarily do.
Additional information required for the referral alongside our online form.
- Any documentation from the school/ Teacher
- Any questionnaires that your right to choose provider requires
Before completing the form, please take into consideration the following information.
We are currently experiencing high demand for ADHD referrals at the practice, due to this we have had to create a standardised process to follow for equality and patient safety. We understand that many people are concerned by the waiting time for the local NHS neurodevelopmental service and are seeking alternative assessments from other providers, such as the Right to Choose (RTC) Pathway. However, we feel it is important that you understand that not all providers operate in the same way and this has increased workload significantly for our staff and for the patients previously involved in this process.
ADHD medications are not something that a GP in England can prescribe on their own and is something called a “specialist medication”. This means that they can only be started by a specialist following an assessment and ADHD diagnosis. A GP may be asked to continue prescribing this medication on behalf of the specialist providing specific criteria are met under something called a Shared Care Agreement. More information about this can be found here. As this is an additional/ optional service for GP surgeries, the practice policy is such that when asked to sign a shared care agreement, we will only do so using the local NHS Sussex format. The reason for this is patient safety. We have an established process that our pharmacy team follow using the Sussex format and we are unable to review alternative forms and how they may deviate from the Sussex Format. Please note that we also reserve the right to stop agreeing to taking on new Shared Care Agreements if we reach an unsafe capacity, in this instance the prescribing will remain with the specialist.
Choosing you right to choose provider:
Whilst we cannot choose a provider for you and our staff cannot help you in vetting or assessing their suitability, we have tried to make this slightly easier by providing these links:
ADHD UK: Right to Choose Private Providers
When choosing your RTC provider, it is important to ensure the following:
- You select the provider that feels right for you and not necessarily the one that has the shortest wait time. Do take time to compare each.
- Ensure you meet their referral criteria and provide any additional documents that they require.
- That they will accept a written GP referral letter and not require the use of an online portal/submission process as this is not something we are able to do for you.
- That they will use the NHS Sussex ESCA format if requesting the GP take over prescribing in future (as outlined above)