Wiltshire: Neurodevelopmental Pathway - Wiltshire Children’s Community Health Services (wiltshirechildrensservices.co.uk)

HCRG Care Group Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopmental Pathway (ADHD & Autism): Neurodevelopmental Pathway - BSW Integrated Community Based Care

We are currently writing to all patients on the adult AWP ADHD waiting list. We know that people with possible ADHD characteristics often wait a long time for a formal assessment. We understand the frustration that waiting can cause and the impact it can have on your wellbeing. Those with lived experience have expressed the view that having different support options available could help speed up the process of accessing support and reasonable adjustments needed to continue with everyday life.

From 1 April 2025, there will be a transition of our services from Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) to HCRG Care Group as part of changes to the delivery of our community services. After 1 April 2025, HCRG Care Group will manage adult ADHD referrals, assessments and medication pathways. This means that AWP will no longer provide adult ADHD services in our area and there will be no new referrals to AWP from 17th February 2025.

As part of this transition, we are reaching out to everyone on the current waiting list to better understand your needs and help identify the most appropriate support for you. Below, we outline four options to help determine the best way forward for you:

1. Needs led support/ Self Identification – You do not need a formal assessment or diagnosis to access help. This option allows us to connect you with available support services tailored to your needs.

2. Assessment pathway – If you wish to pursue a formal ADHD assessment, including using the NHS Right to Choose, we can provide information on providers available to you. While waiting times will still apply, this option allows you to select where and how you receive your assessment.

3. Medication pathway – This is for individuals who have already received a diagnosis and require medication management with oversight from an ADHD specialist.

4. No further action – If you no longer wish to remain on the waiting list or have already accessed an assessment through Right to Choose or privately, you can opt out of further contact.

We recognise that many people seek an assessment to better understand and manage their needs. However, you do not need a diagnosis to access support. Below are some resources that may help:

• Needs-Led Support/ Self Identification: Self-identifying ADHD traits can help you access adjustments in your workplace, education, or daily life. We recommend the ADHD UK Discovery Platform (https://app.adhduk.co.uk/discovery), a helpful tool that can support you to identify strategies to managing you symptoms.

• Reasonable Adjustments: Under the Equality Act 2010, you can request adjustments in workplaces, educational settings, or healthcare to accommodate ADHD-related challenges. Resources on this are available at www.adhduk.co.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

• Access to Work: This government scheme offers practical and financial support to help you remain in employment. A formal diagnosis is not required. Find out more at www.gov.uk/access-to-work

• HCRG Care Group ADHD Assessment and Treatment Service: (https://bswcommunityservices.co.uk/services/adhd-assessment-and-treatment/)

We understand that managing ADHD symptoms while waiting for support can be challenging. These resources provide practical strategies to improve daily life, well-being, and access to appropriate accommodations.

Getting in touch

If you would like to request any of the information above in an alternative format or require assistance to respond, please contact bswicb.adhd@nhs.net

Over the next year, we will work alongside HCRG Care Group to reshape the way ADHD services are delivered. Instead of focusing only on diagnosis, we aim to create a needs-led neurodevelopmental pathway, co-designed with people with lived experience. This approach is based on feedback from individuals with ADHD (and Autism) and aims to provide meaningful, ongoing support that extends beyond diagnosis.

If you are based in England under the NHS you now have a legal right to choose your mental healthcare provider and your choice of mental healthcare team, this includes for referrals relating to Autism and ADHD assessment. A referral must be made by you GP who feels the referral is clinically appropriate.

This service is offered through the NHS and is free

(Your choices in the NHS - NHS (www.nhs.uk)) View information about your choice.

BSW ICB does not currently hold contracts with any Right to Choose service providers. These providers are commissioned by other NHS organisations in England and offer their services through the national NHS Right to Choose scheme.

The Right to Choose scheme gives you the option to choose which qualified provider carries out your NHS-funded assessment or treatment, as long as they hold a contract with an NHS organisation in England. This includes some independent (non-NHS) providers who have been approved to offer services through the scheme.

It is important to know that Right to Choose is not the same as private healthcare. Services accessed through Right to Choose are part of the NHS, so if your GP agrees that an assessment or treatment is clinically necessary, the full cost will be covered by the NHS. You do not have to pay for these services yourself.

If your GP feels that an assessment is appropriate, they can refer you to one of these approved providers under the Right to Choose scheme.

ADHD UK maintains an up-to-date list of providers who currently offer services through Right to Choose. You can find the list here: https://adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose/

BSW ICB does not currently hold contracts with any Right to Choose service providers. These providers are commissioned by other NHS organisations in England and offer their services through the national NHS Right to Choose scheme.

The Right to Choose scheme gives you the option to choose which qualified provider carries out your NHS-funded assessment or treatment, as long as they hold a contract with an NHS organisation in England. This includes some independent (non-NHS) providers who have been approved to offer services through the scheme.

It is important to know that Right to Choose is not the same as private healthcare. Services accessed through Right to Choose are part of the NHS, so if your GP agrees that an assessment or treatment is clinically necessary, the full cost will be covered by the NHS. You do not have to pay for these services yourself.

If your GP feels that an assessment is appropriate, they can refer you to one of these approved providers under the Right to Choose scheme.

ADHD UK maintains an up-to-date list of providers who currently offer services through Right to Choose. You can find the list here: https://adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose/

Many children and young people do not need a diagnosis to meet their education, health and care needs. A formal diagnosis is not a formal requirement for either SEND or an EHCP which should be needs led, identifying the support and reasonable adjustments young people need to thrive.

ADHD Educational Health Care Plan (adhduk.co.uk)

Employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled employees and job applicants are not placed at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. The adjustment must be reasonable. What is considered reasonable will depend on various factors, such as the size and resources of the employer, the nature of the work and the adjustment required, and the impact on the business. 

Access To Work - Support for Disabilities/ Health Conditions (adhduk.co.uk)