Mid and South Essex Adult ADHD Assessment Service

We are an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) service providing diagnostic assessments and treatment (Psychosocial education, medication initiations and/or reviews) to adults living in Mid & South Essex.

We are currently experiencing a high number of referrals and there have been delays in referrals being triaged. Please accept our apologies whilst we address this.

Due to the high demand and multiple factors influencing the time you will need to wait for an assessment, we are unable to offer more precise timescales or advise where you are on a waiting list. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

What to expect
When you are referred into our service, you will be required to complete at least 2/3 screening measures that our service uses. These are used by our team to triage your referral to ensure there is enough initial evidence of symptoms for the next steps. You will be sent an acceptance letter confirming we are in receipt of your referral.

Following your referral, our team will contact you directly to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This is an appointment where we will gather information about your symptoms and difficulties to establish suitability for a full diagnostic assessment. The appointment typically lasts 60-90 minutes and will be conducted via Microsoft Teams Video Conferencing, but face-to-face appointments may be available upon request.

After your initial assessment, we will ask to speak to an informant (someone who knows you well, usually a family member) to collect collateral Information about your symptoms. As ADHD is considered a Neurodevelopmental Condition, we will need to consider how your symptoms presented during childhood and how these have changed over time.

Following this, our team will meet to review the information we have gathered. Depending on the outcome of this, you will either be placed on the waiting list for a diagnostic assessment or signposted to another service that we feel may be more appropriate to your needs. If we do not feel you meet the diagnostic criteria, you will be discharged from our service following a detailed discussion with you.

If you are placed on the waiting list for a diagnostic assessment, we will contact you directly as soon as an appointment becomes available. This appointment will also be conducted via Microsoft Teams and typically lasts 2 hours. Following this appointment, the clinician will contact you directly to let you know the outcome of your assessment.

You may receive a diagnosis of ADHD of which there are three types: Inattentive Type, ADHD Hyperactive-Impulsive Type or ADHD Mixed Type.
Following this, you may wish to pursue medication, where you will then be placed onto a waiting list for an appointment with one of the prescribers on our team.

Our team also offers Psychoeducational Group Interventions for newly diagnosed patients, to provide them with information around their condition, strategies to help and offer them a safe place to discuss this with other likeminded Individuals.

The aims and objectives of the service are:

• Diagnosis and management of ADHD in adults
• Service for young people in transition (from Community paediatrics AMHS services) who require on-going monitoring/management of ADHD and do not have any complex MH problems
• Assessment by a psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse or mental health professional with specialist training and knowledge of ADHD.
• Prescribe pharmacological treatment and advice for ADHD in line with NICE guidance
• Managing the shared care of people diagnosed with ADHD with General Practitioners, in line with local protocols (including pharmacological treatment)
• Provide self-help information around non-pharmacological interventions to address psychological, lifestyle, behavioural and educational or occupational needs
• Psychoeducational Groups for patients who have recently received diagnoses of ADHD, to develop an understanding of ADHD and provide patients with a peer group setting to openly discuss their own diagnoses with others.
• Liaise with social and occupational services where appropriate
• Offer training in and help raise awareness of Adult ADHD

Staff within the service include psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and pharmacists.

Support whilst you await an assessment
We are not a crisis service, please contact 111 option 2 if you are experiencing significant mental wellbeing distress or speak to your GP for additional support.

We are unable to accept referrals directly from service users.

Referrals should be made by your GP, the GP will ask you to complete some brief questionnaires (Weiss, Wender & ASRS) and provide information about your current symptoms. The more information you can provide to your GP about your current difficulties: e.g. with inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, the impact this is having on your life and how long you have experienced these difficulties, the better support and advice we can provide.

GPs, please note the Weiss, Wender & ASRS are available in hard copies, or electronically on Ardens, SystmOne and via email.

In some circumstances, we will accept direct referrals from CAMHS and Community Paediatric services where individuals are transitioning to adult services. We may also accept referrals from other mental health professionals if sufficient triage / pre-assessment has been completed. If you are a service provider and wish to discuss a referral and whether we will accept this directly, please contact us.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer assessments to individuals who are currently under or who need support from the secondary care or community mental health teams. We are happy to provide consultation to these teams should they require specialist input.

Referral criteria

We accept referrals for adults who are aged 18 or over, living in Mid or South Essex and are registered with a GP within the catchment area. We will support refugees and homeless individuals with no fixed abode but would encourage registration with a local GP for ongoing support.