Part one of my ADHD story is here. This post is just the assessment journey, it is (unbelievably) slightly simplified.
When the psychologist I spoke to in 2008 suggested ADHD I didn’t take it any further because it was only in that year that the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recognised ADHD in Adults for the first time and I was not aware of this at the time.
Before assessment
I made a lot of adjustments to how I worked and that was OK for a long time, however, I later found that my ADHD executive function challenges were significantly affected by the perimenopause. I struggled for around five years during which time I asked my GP for assessment forms twice and failed to complete and return them (which should be a buy to the next round surely).
In 2023 I spoke to a friend who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, she said that she was in titration for medication and it was working well for her. I decided to get an assessment and if diagnosed try medication, so I approached my GP in December 2023.
GP and arguing about Right to Choose
When I spoke to the GP about ADHD she said “You’re obviously doing OK, why do you want the label?” As I had read lots of information about ADHD I was not surprised by this comment and attitude, it stung though and I still remember how it made me feel. I said that I wanted to try medication and that would only be possible with a diagnosis. I completed the forms for Right to Choose and dropped them into the surgery.
A while later I received a letter from the local NHS Community Mental Health Trust (CMHT) with a form to complete. I contacted the surgery and asked them why they had not referred me to the provider I had selected. They said that they were not allowed to refer via Right to Choose. I argued that it is a “right” and a legal requirement for them to do so but they would not be swayed. I completed the form from the CMHT and a few weeks later received a letter saying that they would accept my referral and that the current waiting time was 24 to 36 months!
I made contact with NHS Dorset who helpfully sent me some supporting information [simplified]. I contacted the surgery again forwarding on NHS Dorset’s email. This time the referral was done [simplified]. It was June 2024 so it had taken six months to get to this point. It is incredible that I kept following up as with ADHD it can be really easy to forget to do so.
Finally on the waiting list
The waiting list for the RTC provider was about nine weeks and so I had an appointment with my Right to Choose provider in August 2024 and was diagnosed with ADHD.
I needed an ECG from my GP to ensure that the medication would not be problematic and I could then go straight into titration to identify an appropriate medication and dosage. A letter was sent to my GP reporting my diagnosis and asking for the ECG [simplified]. In the end it took three weeks for the ECG to take place and another three for them to send it to me so that I could upload it to the provider’s portal. I think the receptionist only did that because she was fed up with me calling about it.
Once the provider had the ECG results I went into titration and tried Elvanse which did not have much of an effect and then Methylphenidate which did.
Delays
My assessment took eight months, of which six was me arguing that I should be able to use a Right to Choose provider. Once I got the diagnosis it took another six weeks for the GP to get an ECG done and for the results to reach the provider so that they could start titration. Not everyone has the time, energy and attention to keep on top of something like this. This was the fast track option!
If the Right to Choose referral had happened straight away I probably would have been assessed in February – March 2024
If I had stuck with the CMHT I would have still been on the waiting list until February 2026-27.
