A diagnosis is one thing; medication is another
Some Right to Choose providers can both diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication. Others diagnose only - if medication is needed, you may need a separate referral to a service that can prescribe. Please check this on the provider's website before you choose.
Shared Care Agreements
Once you are stable on medication, the specialist provider may ask Tadley Medical Partnership to take over prescribing under a Shared Care Agreement (SCA). We will only do this if it is clinically safe and only after the criteria in our prescribing policy are met, including at least 3 months of stability on a settled dose. The full policy is set out on our website under 'ADHD Prescribing Policy' (see link below).
Funding policies are changing
National and local NHS funding for Right to Choose is changing rapidly. These decisions are made by NHS England and the Integrated Care Board - General Practice and Tadley Medical Partnership have no control over them. They are constantly changing and we will not always be updated immediately.
A diagnosis from a Right to Choose provider may not always transfer
If you later move to another area or change provider, a diagnosis made by a Right to Choose provider may not be automatically accepted, and the new local NHS service may want to carry out their own assessment.
Referral physical checks
Some providers request that the GP completes physical checks (such as height, weight and blood pressure) as part of the referral. These can be done in reception and recorded on your medical record. If an ECG is requested you will need to book an appointment at the practice for this.
Private assessments and prescriptions
Some patients choose to pay for a private assessment. NHS services, including GPs, are not obliged to prescribe medication recommended by a private provider. Any decision to take over prescribing is made on clinical grounds in line with NHS guidance and our prescribing policy.