Autism & ADHD

The NHS Adult ADHD referral pathway is currently closed to new referrals.

Patients who wish to pursue an ADHD assessment may wish to consider a Right to Choose referral. Information on this service can be found under the Right To Choose Referral Pathway.

If you would like your child to be referred for an NHS assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or ADHD, both parent and school questionnaires must be completed before we can submit a referral.

• Parent Questionnaire ASD/ADHD
• School Questionnaire ASD/ADHD

Under 5s Autism only

Your GP, Health Visitor or other healthcare professionals can refer your child who is under 5 for an autism-only assessment. Referrals for ADHD for children under 5 will not be accepted. Visit the Early Years page for more information about the support available for children under 5.

• Parent Questionnaire Autism Under 5
• School Questionnaire Autism Under 5

Please ensure that all questions are answered fully.

Incomplete questionnaires will be rejected by the assessment service and may delay your child's referral.

When returning your forms, please clearly state if your referral is for Autism, ADHD or a dual assessment.

Printable and PDF forms can be downloaded directly from the SEND 0-25 website Getting a referral for a child or young person's autism and/ or ADHD assessment

What is Right to Choose?

Right to Choose is an NHS scheme that allows patients to choose an alternative NHS-funded provider for certain services, including ADHD and ASD, where eligible.

This can sometimes provide access to assessment services with shorter waiting times than local NHS pathways.

Information about providers currently offering Right to Choose ADHD and autism assessments

Please note that we are unable to recommend or choose a provider on your behalf.

Choosing a provider

Once you have selected a provider, you should carefully review their website and referral requirements.

When researching providers, please check:

• Whether our local Integrated Care Board (Central East ICB) provides funding for referrals to that provider.
• Whether there are any restrictions on referrals from Central East ICB.
• Whether any self-assessment forms or additional paperwork must be completed before a referral can be submitted.

If a provider only accepts referrals from specific ICBs, this is usually clearly stated on their website.

If there is no information suggesting restrictions from our ICB, it is likely that your referral will be accepted, although acceptance decisions are made by the provider.

We will inform you if there are restrictions on your chosen provider if necessary once you have emailed your referral to us.

ADHD Right to Choose referrals

Right to Choose referrals will only be submitted once all provider-specific paperwork has been received. Missing forms may delay or prevent your referral being processed.

Autism Right to Choose Referrals

For autism referrals, you must return:

• Any required self-assessment forms.
• A blank GP referral form provided by your chosen provider.

These documents should be returned to the email address provided in the text message sent by the practice.

Returning paperwork

Please complete all required paperwork before returning it to us.

All paperwork must be sent to the email address provided in your text message.

Autism Right To Choose referrals require all requested self-assessment forms and any provider referral forms to be completed and returned before a referral can be submitted.

Please note that ADHD medication cannot be started by a GP.

These medications are controlled drugs and must be initiated, monitored and adjusted by an appropriately qualified specialist.

If medication is started and remains effective following titration, your specialist may request a shared care agreement with the practice.

Unless a shared care agreement is in place, we are unable to prescribe ADHD medication.

Shared Care Arrangements

Our local ICB strongly advises against GP practices entering into shared care agreements with private and Right to Choose providers for ADHD medication due to the impact to the practice from monitoring.

However, our GP Partners recognise the impact this can have on patients and are currently happy to consider shared care requests where appropriate.

As a result, we must strictly follow local shared care prescribing guidelines.

During titration

During the titration period:

• Your specialist remains responsible for prescribing your medication.
• You must request prescriptions directly from your specialist.
• The practice cannot prescribe ADHD medication during this stage.

Stabilisation period

Once an effective dose has been identified, you must remain on the same dose for a minimum of 12 weeks without further medication changes.

This is known as the stabilisation period.

Once stable, your specialist can request shared care.

Shared care can only be considered if we have received all relevant clinical information, including:

• Assessment clinic letters including observations.
• Details of medication changes.
• Evidence of stabilisation on the current dose.

If this information is incomplete, shared care may be delayed.

Monitoring Requirements

To maintain shared care prescribing with the practice, you must attend all required monitoring appointments.

If monitoring requirements are not met:

• We will contact you to advise that monitoring is outstanding.
• You may be asked to provide clinic letters confirming monitoring has taken place.
• You may be asked to arrange a review with your specialist (children) or with the GP surgery (adults).

If monitoring remains outstanding and we are unable to obtain the required information, prescribing responsibility will revert to your specialist.

Medication Breaks

Advice regarding medication breaks can vary between specialists and services. However, if you stop taking your ADHD medication for more than 12 weeks, you will no longer be considered stable on treatment.

In these circumstances, prescribing responsibility will revert to your specialist, even if a shared care agreement was previously in place.

If you have been discharged from your specialist service, you will require a re-referral and will be required to restart the medication initiation process before treatment can be recommenced.

Monitoring of ADHD medication is an essential part of safe prescribing. Following an extended break from treatment, medication cannot be restarted solely within primary care.

If you are considering stopping your medication or taking a prolonged break, we strongly recommend discussing this with your specialist before making any changes to your treatment.