Shared Care ADHD Clinics

A shared care agreement is a formal arrangement between a private specialist and your NHS GP. The specialist handles diagnosis and initial treatment, then provides detailed guidance to your GP who takes over routine prescribing. The specialist remains available for advice and annual reviews if needed.

Most GPs will accept shared care for ADHD, especially when the request comes from a CQC-registered clinic with a qualified psychiatrist. However, GPs can decline if they don't feel confident managing the medication. If your GP declines, you can ask for a referral to another GP in your practice or request a second opinion.

Typically 3-6 months. During this time, the private clinic will diagnose you, start medication, and adjust the dose until you're stable. Once your medication is working well with no significant side effects, they'll send a shared care request to your GP.

Your GP can refer you back to the private clinic for specialist advice. Most shared care agreements include provision for the specialist to provide guidance on dose adjustments or medication changes. Some clinics offer ad-hoc consultations for patients under shared care.

Once shared care is established, your GP handles routine prescribing and monitoring. You may need to pay for occasional specialist reviews (typically annually) depending on the clinic's shared care protocol. These are usually much less frequent than during initial treatment.

Yes! 20 of these clinics accept NHS Right to Choose, meaning your initial assessment is NHS-funded. After titration, they can still arrange shared care with your GP for ongoing prescriptions. This is the most cost-effective route for ADHD treatment.