Adult ADHD Assessment Service

Summary

We are an ADHD services providing support to adults living in North East and West Essex. 

Service Information

We are currently experiencing a high number of referrals and there have been delays in referrals being triaged. Please accept our apologies whilst address this.

The aims and objectives of the service are:

  • diagnosis and management of ADHD in adults
  • service for young people in transition (from Community paediatrics AMHS services) who require on-going monitoring/management of ADHD and do not have any complex MH problems
  • assessment by a psychiatrist or mental health professional with specialist training and knowledge of ADHD.
  • prescribe pharmacological treatment and advice for ADHD in line with NICE guidance
  • manage the shared care of people diagnosed with ADHD with General Practitioners, in line with local protocols (including pharmacological treatment)
  • provide self-help information around non-pharmacological interventions to address psychological, lifestyle, behavioural and educational or occupational needs
  • liaise with social and occupational services where appropriate
  • offer training in and help raise awareness of Adult ADHD

Staff within the service include psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and pharmacists.

Referral Information

We are unable to accept referrals directly from service users.

Referrals should be made by your GP, the GP will ask you to complete some brief questionnaires (Weiss and Wender) and provide information about your current symptoms. The more information you can provide to your GP about your current difficulties: e.g. with inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, the impact this is having on your life and how long you have experienced these difficulties, the better support and advice we can provide.

GPs, please note the Weiss and Wender are available in hard copies, or electronically on Ardens, SystmOne and via email.

Once the GP has completed the referral paperwork, we would anticipate our colleagues completing a brief triage assessment within 8-12 weeks. They may decide you need support from another service or may refer on to us.
Once we receive the referral, we aim to offer you an initial appointment within 28 working days.

West CCG Surgeries – Please send your referrals to your SPA team:
epunft.SinglePointOfAccess@nhs.net
0300 123 5433

North East CCG Surgeries – Please send your referrals to your SPA team:
epunft.nespa@nhs.net

In some circumstances, we will accept direct referrals from CAMH and Community Paediatric services where individuals are transitioning to adult services. If you are a service provider and wish to discuss a referral and whether we will accept this directly, please contact us.

Where an individual has recently been or is under the care of secondary care or community mental health teams, please see our exclusion criteria below.

The service is provided to all adults aged 18* years and above who meet the following criteria:

  • Have ADHD/ADD or are suspected to have ADHD/ADD
  • Require monitoring by a doctor or other specific clinician until they are stabilised and can be transferred back to primary care or the person is managed under a shared care agreement
  • Require psychological/psycho-social support
  • Meet eligibility criteria under fair access to care
  • Adults who are registered with a North East Essex or West Essex GP Practice
  • Adults who are resident in North East Essex or West Essex and who are not registered with a member practice of any Clinical Commissioning Group such as homeless people, travelling community and refugees.

*For people who are transitioning from CAMHS services, referral should be made well in advance of the person’s 18th birthday, so that review can be arranged shortly after as appropriate.

Referrers must complete the screening tools (WEISS ADHD Rating Scale and Wender Utah Rating Scale) with their service user and include these with the referral form.

Service users will then be screened by the ADHD service and asked to complete an additional information form.

  • People under 18 years of age.
  • Impairment not identified to be significant or only reported in only one area of functioning / life (in line with NICE guidelines).
  • People who are not registered to a GP within the North East Essex or West Essex boundary (except for those who reside within the boundary and are not registered to any GP such as homeless people, travelling community and refugees) – Service users will be encouraged to register with a GP practice to ensure ongoing care.
  • We are unable to accept referrals for individuals under the care of secondary mental health services for a co-morbid psychiatric disorder. In these instances, diagnosis and management of ADHD should be managed by a mental health specialist trained in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD within the secondary care service.

Where clinicians are in doubt about the diagnosis and/or management of the ADHD, on an exceptional basis, we may consider a referral for consultation and advice. Please contact us to discuss these cases prior to sending your referral.

You may benefit from looking at the following websites and services to see if they could support you or help you manage your difficulties despite not having a formal diagnosis. Many individuals find it beneficial to try out new skills and strategies to help manage the aspects of life they find challenging.

You can self-refer to IAPT and access local treatment and support for a range of mental wellbeing concerns including anxiety, depression, sleep problems, stress, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, traumatic events and low mood following physical health changes as well as other conditions.

West Essex (Chigwell, Harlow, Epping, Ongar, Loughton region), you can contact Vita Minds:
0333 015 2966

North East Essex (Colchester, Clacton, Harwich region), you can contact Therapy For You
01206 334001

How to ADHD YouTube channel
Contains videos reviewing and practising strategies for many of the symptoms of ADHD and similar traits and difficulties in adulthood: https://youtube.com/howtoadhd

Your life can be better: Using strategies for adult ADD/ADHD by Douglas Puryear.
Talks in an informative but informal way about his experiences of living with ADD and provides ideas for strategies to help with traits and difficulties associated with this. This can be useful for many individuals with and without ADHD.

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley
Outlines the impact of ADHD in adulthood and discusses strategies for managing work, relationships, finances as well as management of symptoms. This can be useful for many individuals with and without ADHD.

Samaritans
116 123, they are available 24/7.

Get self help
www.getselfhelp.co.uk over CBT and self help support including guides, worksheets, videos.

ADDitude, inside the ADHD mind
Provide videos, blogs, vlogs and articles about ADHD symptoms and how to overcome them, this can be useful for many individuals with and without ADHD.

Helpful apps

The apps were recommendations by individuals with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, which can arise for a number of different reasons:

• Brain Focus: time management app, blocks apps and quiets notifications so prevents phone distractions when you need to focus.
• Remember The Milk: task management, prioritizing time, and categorizing items.
• Calm: Helpful strategies for mindfulness and meditation. Includes specific exercises for managing anxiety, sleep, focus, concentration and breaking habits.
• Sleepio: This app includes a sleep improvement programme. To use the app, you must register for an account on www.sleepio.com.
• Productive Habit Tracker: develop personalised routines – what you have to do vs what you want to do.

We aim to respond to emails within two working day.
We aim to see/speak to service users within 28 days of the referral being made.

We are experiencing some delays due to a high number of referrals, staff sickness and COVID re-deployment so we appreciate your patience at this difficult time. We tend to offer 2-3 assessment sessions prior to a diagnosis decision being made so please be aware that it can take several months to receive an outcome.

We aim to respond to emails within two working days.

Get help?