Information regarding ADHD Services in Oxfordshire
This practice is not funded to provide comprehensive NHS services for adults with ADHD. The Adult Service in Oxfordshire is currently closed to new referrals and national services available via the “Right to Choose” system don’t provide the long-term follow required by national guidance. In addition, child patients with ADHD are discharged from long-term follow-up by their specialist at the age of 18 as the adult service will not continue their care.
National guidance expects long-term involvement of specialists in reviewing these patients and their medical treatment, but this does not currently happen in Oxfordshire.
Therefore the practice has taken the difficult decision that any new requests from specialists, both NHS and private, to prescribe ADHD medications to adult or child patients on a “shared care” basis will be declined.
ADHD service providers can still carry out an assessment and diagnosis and can also provide prescriptions on an ongoing basis but may decline to do so.
We will also be making this clear to providers of ADHD services, at the point we refer patients for a diagnostic assessment. Care of adults already receiving ADHD treatments remains under careful review but we are planning to give 6 months notice to BOB ICB that we will be reviewing all existing patients with a view to reducing or stopping their medications where it is safe to do so unless proper local services have been commissioned.
Patients may be able to access the care they need outside of the NHS, for instance by seeking a referral to a private provider from their NHS GP or NHS specialist.
As your NHS GP, we will not enter into “shared care” arrangements with private providers as this is against the NHS Principles of Separation between NHS and Private care, so if you are seeking a private assessment you need to be aware that you will be responsible for all costs associated with that including consultation fees and medication costs.
Patients should not be left without the care they need due to a lack of comprehensive NHS funding and our local representatives have raised this issue with local funding and decision-making groups. If you also wish to raise this issue, you may want to contact the planned care team at BOB ICB, bobicb.plannedcare@nhs.net , and/or your MP.