Post by blobby on Mar 10, 2020 19:07:44 GMT
This was suggested to me a short while ago.
New (2018) legislation has been created called (Right to Choose * ). This change in the law is set out in
NHS Gateway Publication number 07661, “Choice in Mental Health Care”, published in February 2018. It applies similar rights to mental health as to physical conditions - in principle. I think this will link you to the pdf of the pamphlet:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/choice-in-mental-health-care-v2.pdf
It is irritatingly worded suggesting that you have any sort of service locally and you just want a better one elsewhere (or something).....
E.g. ....'people should have a right to choose where they get appointments and treatment''.......
It would be nicer and a bit more honest to say something like ....''the NHS should be funded properly so that all people who have or are suspected of having mental health conditions (in our case adult ADHD) have a right to be assessed and treated in reasonable time. If that is not provided locally then you can find somewhere else that does and have a reasonable entitlement for your local NHS (GP or specialist) to refer you for free if they think you might have the condition. However don't be surprised if we have to put a couple of % on your taxes to do so.
There are reasonable stipulations (so I am told) about where that assessment/treatment is provided (e.g. the private organisation have to have been commissioned by at least one CCG). This is just to make sure the choice is only for organisations which are genuine and not money-grabbing charlatans. They have to provide treatments that are recognised at least by NICE guidelines (National Institution for Clinical Excellence) as having some proof (scientific evidence not fake new social media stuff) of working.
One such organisation was suggested to me - Psychiatry UK website. - here's a link to their ADHD bit :
It's a private psychiatry organisation. Their website is worth a look. There is an actua telephone number that you ring and a real person answers (from Britain). Within four rings I spoke to a nice and informed lady (Lottie). She made enquiries after the call and got back to me saying I was likely entitled to have their service for free - but first my GP had to refer me to them.
Take note: - I am already diagnosed and was being treated ......until that is my GP told me that the specialist adult ADHD service overseeing my on-going treatment was no longer funded by my local Care Commissioning Group (GP's can't prescribe certain drugs without oversight by a specialist....so the argument is pretty strong that I am not getting what I WAS getting.
This is a letter template that I filled out and am giving to my GP. I hope this link works........... Letter-to-GP-Patient-Right-to-Choose.docx (16.66 KB)
You might try showing it to your GP - especially all you poor souls (e.g Bristolians) waiting 2 years on a waiting list.
Happy vibes.
Ps - a quote in toto from another's post (didn't know how to link to it directly - new to forums:
Hi everyone,
Letting you know that I think very highly of Psychiatry UK. It's an online-based service. I saw a psychiatrist over a skype-type video call. I was already diagnosed but had issues with my medication and am on other things as well. I was titrated by an Advanced Nurse Practitioner via email contact (who I happened to know as the ANP also worked for the Lancashire adult Adhd service). I don't know if she also would have done appointments over video calling otherwise or not, but the email service worked very well for me and for them! I was posted an automatic blood pressure machine which also measures your pulse. It came with a self-addressed pre-paid envelope to send it back in when Titration has finished. I added measurements to my emails when requested.
The whole of Cumbria now uses Psychiatry UK for their adult Adhd services and they are working through the backlog after a long time without one and hiccups during setting it up. I believe they're a private psychiatric service that got the contract for Cumbria. I have no idea how much their rates are if you're going private, or what tests they do for diagnosis.
I get my prescription through registered post, so I take it to the pharmacy myself. Initially they'd have it organised so that you could just go to the pharmacy after a certain date and the medication would be ready and waiting, but that's just recently changed for reasons I don't know.
I got myself a Pre-paid Prescription Certificate (search for NHS PPC in your favoured search engine) so I pay £10.40 every month for 10 months out of the 12 in the year. Unless you move house or any of your other details change, it automatically renews every year.