Private-NHS Shared care agreements (Adult ADHD, specifically)

[Abelino]

Due to the waiting times at my local NHS adult ADHD centre (12-15 months) I'm going to seek a private diagnosis.

If I get the diagnosis, once the correct treatment is found the psychiatrists I'm looking at say they can enter into a shared care agreement with my GP, so I will obtain NHS prescriptions from that point on and only see the private psychiatrist once a year.

Has anybody been through this process, and if so did you make an appointment with your GP to let them now what's happening first? I found out the waiting times via the ADHD centre directly, so I haven't been to my GP yet about this issue. I know that GPs don't get involved in the diagnosis anyway so I don't want to waste an appointment, but I don't know if I need to tell them to potentially expect a request for a shared care agreement in the future.

I've recently moved, so I haven't actually seen my GP at all yet, only the nurse for a new patient check.

I'd be grateful to hear of experiences with this.

Check this out with your GP first as there is no guarantee of this. They are often reluctant to prescribe these type of meds without psychiatrist oversight and tbh with a private psychiatrist you get what you pay for. As a GP is nhs, they may not accept the private recommendation and insist on nhs review, which still means waiting to be seen by specialist service. You will not not be able to jump the nhs queue and get nhs prescribing from an ADHD service because you have a private diagnosis. So if prescribed by private may have to pay for your scripts until nhs see you and agree any diagnosis (and they may not think the same). Nhs use NICE guidelines for diagnosis.

Thanks for this. The private psychiatrist I'm looking at also does NHS work and is available via NHS Choices, it just takes longer than going private.

Re not being able to jump the queue this is what they say about it:

"Once the psychiatrist is satisfied that the medication they have prescribed is working, we ask your GP to enter into something called a shared care agreement. This would then allow you to get medication through the NHS and still have private consultant care.

The other option is to continue with private treatment while your GP refers you to the NHS so at least in the meantime you will still be receiving ongoing medication, albeit at a higher price."

Are you saying that the former option isn’t possible, or just that I need my GP’s support first?

I bet it’ll be fine, the Consultant knows what they’re doing and will have had this arrangement with other patients. I would go and discuss it with your GP first though, just so they know what’s happening.

It’s possible, but GPs are responsible for their prescribing so have different views, especially on stimulant medication which has can have serious side effects and requires monitoring. Check with your GP first.

The Consultant is offering shared care though which is the normal way stimulants are prescribed in the NHS. So I’d be surprised if there was a problem with it.

A consultant cannot “offer” shared care without the agreement of the other party which is the GP. GPs are responsible for prescribing within their competency, hence the advice to check first.

I realise a GP would have to be happy to work with the shared care agreement, but the Consultant can offer to treat under a shared care situation, the OP will just need to find a GP that is happy to as well. I absolutely agree with the advice to speak to the GP first, as I said. I was just saying I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. Of course I may be wrong, I’m not a doctor.