ADHD Treatment and Diagnosis FAQ’s

ADHD Treatment and Diagnosis FAQ’s

A number of patients have suggested that we have a frequently asked question bank, for you to read, and for us to place right at the very start of your journey with us, as you progress for an assessment, and if diagnosed, treatment for ADHD.

We have grouped them into themes, and we hope they build your knowledge of us as a service and your ‘next steps’ as we progress to raise the quality of your lives, lift your spirits in so much as you are being assessed at last, and hopefully we can work together to make life that little bit easier.

You’ll be given a date for an assessment, we either work that out with you or you choose from the clinic availability on our portal, Chrysalis.

Unlike a standard NHS process, we will have gathered a lot of information before you get to meet your clinician, this makes the assessment process easier for you, quicker and it allows for a far more quality based consultation.

If the patient is a school child you may want to download the children’s screening tool and take one to school and have it filled in, the more information we have the better.

We only use internationally recognised assessment tools and ways of working, we are specialists in ADHD, and your assessment should be a pleasant, semi-structured conversation, led by your clinician. If the patient is a child, we will honour the rights of your child to be asked questions in their own right, and we would hope for a full and frank conversation with them and you throughout the consultation.

At the end of your consultation, if not slightly earlier, your clinician will let you know whether you have ADHD or not. This declaration of a diagnosis is the start of a new journey and one that we will share with you throughout treatment. If you are not diagnosed, we will explain why and suggest your next steps.

We follow the science, and in its simplest form, the most effective for most patients is medicine. It is safe, it works, and it is very effective. You should expect a conversation about medicine if you are diagnosed with ADHD by us. Once we have your treatment to a point where you are ‘as good as we can get you’ we will point you to other forms of support outside our services.

There are three groups of medicine, they all work differently, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Your clinician will work with you to find the right medicine for you as quickly as possible. If the suggested medicine doesn’t work, your clinician will work hard to find the one that does, and then adjust the dose to find the optimal level.

This may sound like trial and error, and perhaps it looks that way. There is absolutely no way to know what will work best for you until we try, but we listen, gather the facts, and work tirelessly to get there as soon as we can.

We will have a ‘follow up’ consultation with you every three weeks. By law we can only generally write a 28-day prescription, so a three week consultation allows a week to get your next medication prescribed, dispensed and with you before the original runs out. If you miss your follow ups, we cannot be held responsible for any subsequent timing delays.

We continue three-week consultations until we get you ‘as good as we can’ medically. We call this ‘stable’ (tolerating the medicine) and ‘optimised’ (we have the medicine at the right dose for you to be the best you can be). When we reach this point, we write to your GP asking them to prescribe for you, this is known as ‘shared care’.

We have a 28 day window for shared care, if it isn’t agreed in 28 days, you may be purchasing your next prescription medication privately, obviously this doesn’t apply to our NHS patients. However, it is important that when we ask for a repeat of the original screening tool information, and repeated blood pressure, pulse, height and weight, you get them to us as quickly as possible. Your repeated screening information should be completed for when you are at your best on your medication. Any delay puts your 28-day window under more threat, and you may end up worrying about where your next medication is coming from. This is a worry you don’t need, so please work with us.

If your GP doesn’t want to provide shared care, you will need to come to us for your prescriptions, month on month, and we have a button for you to press, on your portal, for you to order your repeat prescription. It’s really simple to use and very efficient.

We have offices staffed most days until 7.00pm and until 4.00pm on Saturdays, you can also reach us on our enquiries@adhd-360.com inbox. Please don’t expect to reach your clinician on request, they are busy in clinic, but we do have a daily ‘call back’ set of appointments when one of the clinical team will get back to you.

For our private patients, we do have to charge but you will find our fees to be fair and reasonably set. We do expect fees to be paid promptly, and within 48 hours maximum after your assessment please.

Your £530 deposit secures you access to the full patient portal, and also allows you to book your assessment. The balance of your assessment fees will be emailed to you upon conclusion of your consultation, and you will also be invoiced directly by our wonderful back-office team.

We sometimes find ourselves having to nudge people for payment, and our team don’t like making those awkward calls, please help them to help you, and pay promptly.

We have a tremendous relationship with our pharmacy partner, Broadway Pharmacy. Once they have your prescription, they will contact you for payment or details of an exemption. You must respond to these texts and emails, without your engagement, they cannot dispense and send your medication.

You will be sent a detailed document about Broadway Pharmacy when your medication is prescribed.

We do not ordinarily deal with High Street pharmacies, they are too costly for you, the postage of a prescription will cost you £10, and the delivery of your medication will be slowed down. Broadway Pharmacy use couriers to ship your medication and they have a very quick turnaround.

You will find Broadway Pharmacy’s contact details on the automatic email you will receive and to expedite things, call or email them, calling us only puts a delay in things.

Your package fee is for a year, and this will need to be renewed on the anniversary of your assessment. We strive to keep the costs for this as low as possible, and we know from patient feedback that years 2 and beyond are very reasonably priced.

Renewal allows us to be there for you as your specialist as well as providing your GP with the peace of mind for them, if they chose to, prescribe for you under shared care. Without our services, or those of another specialist, they are not permitted to prescribe and share care for you. This method is very cost effective for you, whichever way we view it.

Once we have you ‘stable and optimised’ you will need to be reviewed frequently, these are necessary controls to ensure your treatment remains appropriate. For children that’s every 6 months, and for adults annually.

We will also invite you to complete a questionnaire when you are optimised, so you can assess your new opportunities for development and have an understanding of the weaker areas you still have. This ‘executive functioning’ questionnaire is an important step of your continued progression through your ADHD treatment, and one we strongly recommend you take.

You will also find details of the many organisations we work with that can help you progress things forward after you are stable and optimised on our website. This could be coaching, therapy, a support group, or just someone to relate to and chat with. You will find these details under ‘non-medical partners

ADHD 360 Limited is a fully registered and licensed healthcare provider under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. We specialise in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly ADHD. Our clinicians are specialists in both adult and paediatric mental health care and have many years of experience in these fields, as well as their previous experience in general medicine.

Our CQC registration is CRT1-6785869382

ADHD 360, PO Box 22, Horncastle, LN9 9BB

QbCheck is a computer-based test that utilises evidence-based methods to objectively measure attention, activity, and impulsivity—the core symptoms of ADHD.

At ADHD 360, we have seamlessly integrated QbCheck into our comprehensive ADHD assessment and treatment process. This invaluable tool significantly enhances our understanding of an individual’s ADHD symptoms. The results obtained from a QbCheck support the creation of personalised treatment plans, ensuring that each individual receives tailored care.

To be eligible for a QbCheck, individuals must be between the ages of 6 and 60 and have access to a laptop or computer equipped with a webcam.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, QbCheck becomes an integral part of both your pre-assessment to-do list and your ongoing treatment journey. This allows us to evaluate progress, fine-tune treatment plans, and ensure the most effective care throughout your ADHD treatment journey.

For more detailed information about QbCheck and its role in the ADHD 360 journey, please visit our QbCheck page here.

If you can’t complete your QbCheck please don’t worry!

ObCheck s only one of the many tools that our clinicians use as part of vour ADHD assessment with us.

We understand that the ObCheck can be trickv and appreclate that vou ‘ve taken the time to give It a try.

To ensure you can continue without any delays, we will remove the ObCheck from your To-Do List so you can proceed with booking your assessment.

During your assessment, we encourage you to discuss with your clinician whether it would be beneficial to complete a ObCheck. Your ADHD 360 cliniclan can easily provide you with a new link to try again If needed.