Updated Guidelines for NHS-Funded ADHD Care Eligibility
In July 2024, due to a sharp rise in demand for ADHD assessments, the BaNES, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB), our regional healthcare commissioner, issued a new position statement for healthcare professionals regarding ADHD Right to Choose Pathways. This position statement advised that patients can be eligible for NHS funded care if a private ADHD provider has a NHS contract as a Right to Choose provider. The ICB has a database of NHS-approved private ADHD providers, which you can find here https://bswtogether.org.uk/yourhealth/ldan-support-in-bath-and-north-east-somerset/.
Accordingly, following this new position statement, we have decided only to accept private shared care agreements from ADHD providers who have a current NHS contract on the approved list of the ICB who are able to commit to ongoing shared care. Box Surgery does not have the means nor capacity to independently verify the vast array of private ADHD providers that patients may access, and patients seeking private ADHD treatment from providers without an NHS right to choose contract may not be eligible for NHS funded care. GPs retain the right to decline shared care prescribing, and if this happens the responsibility for prescribing remains with the private specialist.
We recognise that the access to NHS-funded ADHD care is suboptimal, and many patients face significant wait times. Should you wish not to wait on the NHS for diagnosis and treatment, we would suggest you either consider consulting an ICB-approved NHS right to choose provider, or that your specialist applies to the BSW ICB to be approved as an NHS Right to Choose provider. If you wish to discuss the decisions regarding NHS Right to Choose ADHD care in BSW please contact the ICB.
