ADHD Assessments

We would like to make you aware that diagnostic and treatment services for ADHD on the NHS are currently at capacity and cannot meet demand. The waiting list for an NHS assessment is upward of three years. There is a similar wait time for a medication initiation appointment for someone that has a confirmed diagnosis. Whilst far from ideal, these waiting times and wider NHS funding are outside of our control as GPs.

Some patients are choosing to go to private providers for assessment and management of ADHD. Others are opting to use their 'Right to Choose' to access other providers that have contracts to provide NHS ADHD assessments. In either of these scenarios, you must ensure that you are well-informed about the providers. Some providers will not be able to provide follow up or prescribe or monitor medication. Many will ask us to agree to a Shared Care Agreement / Shared Care Protocol (SCA/SCA). These are where a GP can (but does not have to) take over prescribing stable doses of a medication on behalf of a specialist, with conditions to be met by all parties - specialist, GP and patient. 

We are currently overwhelmed with requests for shared care agreements. Following guidance by the Local Medical Council (LMC) and General Medical Council (GMC) from 1st March 2025 as a practice we will NOT be accepting any new requests for Shared Care Agreements for patients with ADHD, other than children and young people under 18 under the care of Surrey and Borders NHS trust. We do not have the capacity to safely deliver shared care for these specialist areas. Any workload requested for an individual patient needs to be considered in balance with the reasonable needs of the practice population and we are currently not able to enter into these agreements.

We recognise this can leave individuals in a difficult situation, hence wanting to make clear from the start what our policy is so that you can make a fully informed decision about your future care, and we can provide consistent and fair care to all our patients. 

Published on 6 March 2025