Advice For Patients Who Attend A Private Clinic For ADHD Diagnosis And Medication
A number of patients are choosing to attend private clinics for the diagnosis and / or treatment of ADHD due to current lack of provision within the NHS.
Patients should be aware that medications recommended for the treatment of ADHD are specialist drugs which are categorised as ‘Amber List’ medication. This means that in order for a General Practitioner to prescribe these, the medication must be initiated by a secondary care specialist and there must be a ‘Shared Care’ arrangement in place between the named NHS Consultant and the General Practitioner for the on-going monitoring of these medications. This is to ensure optimal patient safety. NHS Shared Care Guidelines do not apply to the private sector.
As there are no Shared Care guidelines in the private sector, unfortunately we are unable to prescribe Amber List medication and the responsibility for prescribing medication for the treatment of ADHD remains with the private clinic / consultant.
We are sorry that we are unable to prescribe this medication and recommend that anyone attending a private clinic discusses this with their consultant.