FAQs
What quality and governance measures do you have in place?
Who will carry out the assessment?
What will happen during the assessment?
You will be given a date for an assessment, we either work that out with you or you choose from the clinic availability on our portal.
Unlike the usual standard National Health Service (NHS) process, we will have gathered quite a lot of information before you get to meet your clinician, this will make the assessment process easier for you, quicker and it allows for a far more quality and satisfactory consultation.
We only use internationally recognised assessment tools and ways of working, we are specialists in ADHD and Autism, and your assessment should be a very pleasant, semi-structured conversation, led by your clinician.
At the end of your consultation and sometimes slightly earlier, your clinician will let you know whether you have ADHD, Autism or not. This declaration of a diagnosis is the very start of a new journey for you and one that our team will share with you throughout treatment. If you are not diagnosed, we will clearly explain why and suggest your next steps.
How will I be seen?
What support can I get if I am diagnosed?
If the results of the assessment indicate that you have ADHD or Autism, we will then go through all the relevant support options with you. This will include medication and therapeutic options, and our team will help you to decide those you feel would work best for you.
If you choose that you will want medication to treat your symptoms, our prescriber will assess your suitability for treatment, carry out some usual routine tests and, if appropriate, will initiate a treatment plan for you. After your first prescription, we will then ask to have regular reviews with your prescriber who will monitor the efficacy of the medication and any side effects you may have.
When you and our clinician feel that you are on a stable dose, we will then ask your General Practitioner (GP) to take over the management of the prescriptions and usual routine monitoring. However, we will always be available for expert advice if needed.
What happens if I am not diagnosed with ADHD?
Our adult ADHD and Autism team will look at information you supplied, as well as scores from a well-researched and clinically validated screening tool. This information will show whether ADHD or Autism is indicated, or not. And even though it’s not diagnostic, it will enable you to make an informed decision as to whether to proceed with a full assessment before making any financial commitment. However, it is very important to understand that despite the screening process being positive for ADHD or Autism, sometimes the outcome of the assessment will be a non-diagnosis.
This means you don’t meet the threshold to be diagnosed with ADHD or Autism. If this is the case for you, our clinical team will still be able to provide recommendations for further support, and we may even be able to ask your GP to make an onward referral for another type of assessment should this be clinically appropriate.
If I do not have anyone to help with the pre-assessment questionnaire?
We will usually ask someone who knows you well to support the assessment process by giving us extra information. This is because the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-5) states that to meet the threshold for a diagnosis of ADHD or Autism, symptoms, traits and behaviours must have been present from childhood.
This is because ADHD and Autism are neurodevelopmental conditions caused by physiological differences in the brain, so will have been with you all your life. However, we understand that some people won’t have anyone to support this process, and while this can make it rather trickier to conclude the assessment, it will not prevent your assessment from going ahead. If you are not able to find someone to support you, we would advise you to supply as much information as you can that shows your strengths and needs as a child for example your old school reports.
How long is the waiting time before I get assessed?
This often depends upon how quickly we receive the pre-assessment information, but once we’ve received all questionnaires, we aim to provide an assessment appointment within three to four weeks.
Will I get medication from you if I am diagnosed with ADHD?
Yes, we can provide treatment for ADHD in the form of medication for patients who have been diagnosed and are deemed suitable for treatment. Before deciding whether medication is the right option for you, you will need to meet with a specialist prescriber who will discuss the benefits and risks of treatment and carry out some medical observations including your blood pressure, pulse, height and weight. We will also usually ask your General Practitioner to carry out an ECG (tracing of your heart) and sometimes routine blood tests prior to deciding if medication is a safe option for you. If you and the clinician agree that medication is appropriate, we will provide you with a treatment plan and give you your first prescription.
You will need to be regularly reviewed to monitor for any side effects and to ascertain if your symptoms are being adequately managed.
Sometimes the clinician will need to adjust the dose or type of medication you are prescribed, and this will happen alongside monitoring until you reach a stable dose and you and your clinician feel your ADHD is being adequately managed. We will then ask your General Practitioner (GP) to take over monitoring and prescribing.
Will my ADHD or Autism diagnosis be accepted by The NHS/GP?
Our assessments fully comply with NICE guidelines, and we use the highest quality and well-regarded clinical model within our service. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).This means a diagnosis made by our service will be accepted by the NHS.