Biddulph Valley Surgery
Biddulph Primary Care Centre
Wharf Road
Biddulph
Stoke-On-Trent
Staffordshire
ST8 6AG
Enquiries & Appointments: 
0300 404 2987 
Email: ssicb.nst.biddulphvalleysurgery@staffs.nhs.uk

www.biddulphvalleysurgery.nhs.uk

Dr. A. N. F. Green
Dr. R. Kutty
Dr. A. Giffen 
Dr. T. Hold
Dr. A. Machin
Dr. J. Parsons
Dr. A. Robinson
Dr. B. Mifflin

Practice Managers:
Kylie Heath
Rose Decker

 

Patient advice Right to Choose Service Referral and Medications 

You have asked your GP to refer you for an ADHD or ASD assessment and/or treatment from a service provider under your ‘Right to Choose’ (RTC). Your GP will write the referral and provide it to you, or send it directly to your nominated provider at your request. If you have any queries about the appointment, please contact the provider directly. 
Right to Choose Providers are usually private provider companies that hold an NHS contract with one or more NHS commissioners. When choosing a Right to Choose Provider it is important to consider the following points .

Choice 
Your GP cannot choose for you. You need to research the options and make the choice yourself then contact your GP to inform them of your chosen provider and they will advise you on how to proceed. One point of reference for RTC providers is ADHD UK: https://adhduk.co.uk/ 
Referral 
The number of RTC providers is large and each provider may have its own referral process. It is not practical for your GP to complete a different referral process for every patient who chooses a different provider. Most providers need a core set of information so your GP may ask you to complete a questionnaire, and an ADHD self-assessment score as part of a standardised referral. If the provider needs additional information, they can request it from the practice or by asking you directly.

Diagnosis and follow-up 
Most RTC providers exclusively perform remote and/or online assessments and the local NHS ADHD services may not have sufficient confidence in these diagnostic processes to accept their diagnoses. They may not take over your care unless they have completed their own assessment and diagnostic process. Therefore, your diagnosis may not be universally accepted, and you may find you cannot seek treatment and follow-up directly with local services following an RTC diagnosis. 
Prescriptions 
If you are diagnosed with ADHD the RTC provider may suggest medications for you. The medications used for ADHD are restricted so that GPs cannot routinely prescribe them. The specialist service is responsible for prescribing them. They can request that your GP prescribes them under an agreement called a ‘shared care agreement’ but it is unlikely that your GP will be able to enter into this agreement for reasons of patient safety and resources. It is not safe for GPs to try to keep up with so many providers, each with their own contact details and processes when prescribing such safety critical medications. 
Due to the nature of RTC providers, if the business stops trading for any reason or if they have their NHS contract removed then their care, and any prescriptions would more than likely cease which is another reason your GP may not feel it is safe, or good practice to enter into an agreement to prescribe for them. 
When you are choosing your RTC provider you may find it useful to use this information to support your decision making and also to share with your chosen provider so that they are aware that their duty in prescribing, in particular, is unlikely to be taken over by your GP.