Private ADHD consultants NW

[Warringtonfamily]

Hi

Long story our 8 year old son is in the system for ADHD diagnosis. He is very much at the severe end and has had the tests after an 8 month wait which was apparently quick. We are now waiting for a Paediatrician to go over the results and medicate which is a timescale unknown. He has gotten so bad school have put him on half days and they are now struggling to cope with that with that after 2 weeks threatening exclusion. He is doing a lot of climbing in school and running around and is mostly on 1-1. He cannot regulate. School have had various meetings, applied for emergency funding, asked that his case will be seen more urgently which the NHS said it will and various other acronyms are involved like SENCO, and councils an EHCP has also been applied for.

We have tried the private route only finding 2 child Paediatricians in the north west one who is not taking on anyone else the other has appointments in a few months but hasn’t returned our calls to book in.

We are at a loss feeling school will try and get rid of him before he gets a chance to try meds, everyday is a battle. We urgently need to see someone. I have heard psychologists can prescribe meds, does anyone have any recommendations for Private Child Paediatricians or Psychologist’s in the North West or failing that anywhere in the UK who are recommended and legit, as have found many sketchy pop up clinics with online ADHD assessments etc.
We are Warrington based.
Thanks.

It’s my understanding that psychologists can’t prescribe (you need a psychiatrist for that). We struggled to find someone to prescribe when our DS had been diagnosed by a psychologist and most of the (private) psychiatrists we approached refused to prescribe without doing their own diagnosis which involved more £££ and also more waiting. As you’ve discovered you can still have to wait in the private system.
Someone here might be able to suggest a private psychiatrist which would be great. But given. the severity of your situation, I would also throw everything at the NHS for a prescription.
Presumably you have a named consultant on your diagnosis? I’d be on to his/her secretary weekly begging (politely and calmly of course) for a cancellation, and to ensure they understand the seriousness of the situation. Make clear that you are willing to travel if necessary, if waiting lists are shorter elsewhere, and also to take a cancellation appointment last minute.
You say the school has told “the NHS” how serious it is but you’d be surprised how the different parts of the NHS fail to communicate with each other.
It might also be worth contacting your MP?

Thank you for the response at the minute we have not had a diagnoses only completed the tests so we are waiting for the next step which is the Paediatrician. The NHS have acknowledged the situation as urgent but again we are sat waiting. All the while wondering if his next school day will be his last. We would pay for Private but it’s an absolute minefield of who is credible and isn’t whether it needs paediatrician or Psychologist as many on the Internet seen to be generic middle men websites that outsource. I’m currently even looking at Harley street doctors but there’s hundreds of those.