Some patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are being left to fund their own medication at more than £200 a month after GPs ended shared care agreements with private clinics, amid growing concerns over the regulation of private ADHD providers.
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust has warned that private clinics offering assessments through the NHS-funded “right to choose” pathway do not always comply with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In some cases, providers lack appropriately qualified staff to support continued prescribing.
In a letter shared with the Guardian, the trust acknowledged it was struggling to cope with rising numbers of patients being sent back from private care. It said the trend was contributing to long waiting lists, reduced capacity for new and complex cases, and increasing risks of gaps in treatment.
One father described how his son’s GP practice withdrew from a shared care agreement after three years, giving six months’ notice and citing the private provider as being “out of area.” The patient has been referred to the local NHS service, but waiting times exceed six months.
The father said his son held down a responsible job and had bought his own home, neither of which would have been possible without medication. He added that his son’s consultant had warned of “predictable harms” if treatment stopped.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged on Thursday that the government was failing to cope with the volume of referrals for autism and ADHD assessments. More than 500,000 people in England are currently waiting to be assessed, with demand reaching record levels as awareness of the condition has increased.
The Guardian recently reported that the NHS is overspending by £164 million annually on ADHD services, with a growing share directed towards poorly regulated private assessments.
The trust’s letter stated that limited regulation of private ADHD providers had created repeated difficulties. It noted that some providers could offer diagnoses but not prescribe medication, highlighting what it called “challenges and limitations” within the right to choose system.
The local integrated care board has since introduced a vetting service for right to choose providers. A spokesperson for NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB said it was working with partners to review processes for engaging with private clinics.
