This was being discussed on Radio 4 today.
LMC leaders are asking GPs to stop prescribing ADHD medication for patients who have been diagnosed elsewhere as part of collective action.
In several areas, Pulse has learned that GPs have stopped entering new shared-care agreements for ADHD, however some LMCs wish to go further and have asked GPs to also stop agreements for existing patients.
And at least one trust has already highlighted the impact of GPs pulling away from providing care to adults with ADHD.
In Essex, GPs have been advised by LMCs to stop care for patients on adult ADHD pathways in order ‘to focus capacity on core services’.
A letter to practices recommends they inform Mid and South Essex ICB that they will be ‘withdrawing care to adult ADHD patients currently under their care in three months and to no longer accept new patients’.
The letter said: ‘This is a rapidly growing issue with multiple providers offering opinions and diagnoses of variable credibility to vulnerable patients.
‘The associated workload is significant and LMC members recommend that this care be provided by properly commissioned specialist services.’
It called a recent offer for a shared care payment of £50 per patient per year ‘derisory’.
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In Dorset, practices taking part in collective action have agreed to decline new shared care requests for ADHD as part of wider collective action.
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, who provide mental health services and disability care across the region, have said they were seeing an impact on collective action in terms of return of shared care, specifically for ADHD.
An update, presented to Newcastle and North Tyneside LMC, said it ‘was impacting on the ability to take on new assessments, specifically with the ADHD pathway’.
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In board papers published in September, the trust said there were currently 12,000 patients on the adult ADHD waiting list increasing month by month with a current average wait of seven years.
LMC leaders argue that without special financial arrangements ADHD shared care is unfunded work for GPs.
Dr Adam Janjua, chief executive of Lancashire and Cumbria LMCs said: ‘These shared care agreements are nothing but a request for GPs to take on the workload of secondary care for free.’
‘There is absolutely no funding for shared care ADHD and as such practices are being asked to take on extra workload that is completely unfunded.’
He said it was up to the commissioners to hold hospitals to account for their inefficient use of outpatient clinics.
‘If there is a backlog it’s due to poor management and very poor planning from the people that should and must do better.’
I understand that GPs need to be vigilant when government tries to increase their workload without adequate funding but that’s a lot of people’s lives being messed with.
It’s been hell waiting three years for an NHS diagnosis, but I’m really glad I have now, as having got medication and then having it withdrawn would definitely have sent me into a flat spin
Good to hear you are OK, it’s those who went private who could be in big trouble.
Of course they’re singling out ADHD.
SCA are used for lots of drugs, but they go for the easy target.
Also this seems confusing, I’m on multiple SCA with my CMHT, one of which is for ADHD, are they including those? If so it’s going to create a lot of pissed off NHS psychiatrists.
