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Jubilee Surgery

Whitton Corner Health and Social Care Centre, Percy Road, Whitton, Twickenham, TW2 6JL

Telephone: 0203 405 0840

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Our Policy on Prescribing ADHD Medication Started by Private or “Right to Choose” Providers

Our Policy on Prescribing ADHD Medication Started by Private or “Right to Choose” Providers

Our practice has a duty to prescribe safely and only where we have the appropriate expertise, capacity and clear clinical responsibility.

For this reason, our surgery does not routinely take over prescribing of ADHD medication that has been initiated by private clinics or some “Right to Choose” providers. This includes requests for shared‑care arrangements where the specialist service is unable to provide ongoing, timely support and clear guidance.

Key points:

  • Clinical responsibility and safety
    The GP who signs a prescription is legally and professionally responsible for it. If we do not feel we have sufficient information, specialist support, or confidence in the prescribing and monitoring arrangements, we are entitled – and sometimes obliged – to decline. This is in line with GMC and BMA guidance.

 

  • Capacity and workload
    Many NHS GP surgeries, including ours, are no longer able to enter shared‑care arrangements with private ADHD providers because:

    • There is no commissioned or funded service to support this work.
    • It adds significant workload, which reduces our ability to see patients we are contracted and resourced to care for.
    • We often receive limited or poor‑quality information, and little support when expert help is needed.

 

  • Private providers’ responsibilities
    If you choose to see a private or non‑local provider for ADHD assessment and treatment, that provider is responsible for:

    • Initiating and continuing your ADHD medication
    • Arranging necessary monitoring and follow‑up
    • Providing prescriptions directly (usually private prescriptions)

 

  • What we can do
    • We will continue to provide your usual NHS care for other health needs.
    • We can share relevant medical information with your ADHD provider (with your consent).
    • We will follow local NHS pathways if you wish to be referred into an NHS‑commissioned ADHD service, where available and appropriate.

 

If you are considering private ADHD assessment or treatment, please discuss this with the provider in advance and make sure you understand that our practice may not be able to take over prescribing or monitoring of any medication they start.

 

This approach follows national guidance on GP responsibilities in relation to private healthcare and prescribing. For further background, you can see NHS England’s guidance on responsibilities for prescribing between primary and secondary care:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/responsibility-prescribing-between-primary-secondary-care-v2.pdf