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ADHD Medication Titration Service

We are proud to offer our specialist and highly sought after ADHD medication and titration service. Our clinical pharmacists are here to help you find the right medication for your child, following their ADHD assessment. 

Our clinicians will guide you through each step, ensuring that you and your child feel supported, informed and confident in their care.

Frequently Asked Questions about ADHD Medication 

  • Now that your child has completed their assessment for ADHD, one of the next available options is medication. 

     

    The CAYP Psychology ADHD medication support and titration service is  a chance for you to discuss medication options for the treatment of  your child’s ADHD, and come to a shared treatment plan.

     

    Medication is not the only way that children with ADHD can be supported. Current research indicates that medication combined with adjustments in everyday life, and even ongoing therapies, can lead to the best possible outcomes. Medication can sometimes seem scary, particularly for children. You may have concerns and questions. We are here to help. Our medication service aims to support children and families, with a view to find the perfect medication balance for your child, their lifestyle, and your family, whilst working safely and minimising side effects.

  • Our service is for children and young people up to 18 years who have had an assessment and resulting ADHD diagnosis with CAYP Psychology or with an NHS team.

     

    Unfortunately, we cannot accept assessments completed with Right to Choose private services.

  • Our ADHD medication service is online. Appointments will be by video call.

  • The first step, before our clinicians can offer a meeting, we need some information. 

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    1. We need your child’s height, weight, blood pressure and pulse, plus a cardiac assessment where a clinician listens to the heart for murmurs and the lungs for signs of fluid. This will need to be completed via a healthcare professional, such as your GP. 
       

    2. A copy of your child’s Summary Care Record. This is just a print out from your GP practice that a receptionist can do for you. You don't need an appointment for this.
       

    3. A referral to cardiology for their opinion, if any of the following apply:
       

    • A history of congenital heart disease or previous cardiac surgery

    • A history of sudden death in a first-degree relative under 40 years suggesting a cardiac disease

    • Shortness of breath on exertion compared with peers

    • Fainting on exertion or in response to fright or noise

    • Palpitations that are rapid, regular and start and stop suddenly (fleeting occasional bumps are usually ectopic and do not need investigation) 

    • Chest pain suggesting cardiac origin

    • Signs of heart failure

    • A murmur heard on cardiac examination

     

    Please Note: You will also need to buy your own set of scales and blood pressure monitor, so that our clinicians can take regular readings when they titrates your child’s medication. 

  • When you book your initial consultation there is an online form with an upload facility so you can share all the relevant information in one go.

  • The first appointment (your child’s initial consultation) will take approximately 1 hour, and has been expertly developed to help our clinicians have a full and detailed understanding of your child’s circumstances and diagnosis. At the end of this appointment, medication options will be discussed and arranged. A prescription may be provided, and sent out via an online pharmacy (CloudRX) or securely and "Signed For" in the post, for you to pick up from your local pharmacy.

  • You can collect your prescription from your local pharmacy. 

     

    Do remember that your pharmacy will have some additional charges which are owed directly to them.

     

    If you have opted for an online pharmacy, this will arrive to you directly.

     

    The cost of ADHD medication, owed at the time of collection, typically ranges between £25 to £150, depending on the medication, the dosage, the medication formulation (i.e. liquid / tablet) and the quantity.

  • We offer two further types of appointments.


    We offer our first follow-up (this is your second appointment with us). This will take place approximately two weeks after you have started your medication, and ensures that initial prescription is correct, and your child is managing to tolerate the medication, and any side effects can be monitored.

  • Shared care in application from us to your GP practice. Shared care is a formal agreement that enables your GP to accept the ongoing responsibility for the safe prescribing and monitoring of your child’s medication. Once this agreement is in place, our care for your child will have been formally transferred to your GP. Independent services sometimes have difficulties with setting up shared care agreements, as they are often initially "rejected" by NHS teams, but we work hard to ensure that there are no bumps in the road here.

  • The overwhelming pattern is that we have no difficulties with working with our NHS colleagues and teams. 

     

    However, since we began our ADHD medication service, some children and families have encountered a couple of challenges. We strongly recommend double-checking the circumstances before starting to work with our ADHD medication service, particularly if you think that at some point, you may want your child’s care transferred to the NHS.

    1. Obtaining health information from your GP
    In order to start working with our ADHD medication service, we require some healthcare checks (details are in a separate message). Some GP practices have refused to do these healthcare checks (blood pressure, regular heart beat, height and weight) for the purpose of accessing independent care. As we only offer an online ADHD medication service, we cannot take these data in person, and we, unfortunately, cannot proceed without your child’s healthcare information. 

     

    If your GP refuses, it may be worth obtaining this information from your pharmacy, or arranging a private GP visit: Find A Private GP.

     

    2. Transfer to Shared Care
    Some GP practices have an arbitrary policy of refusing to accept shared care requests from any independent provider. 

     

    However, most practices are much more nuanced, and make decisions based on the quality, professionalism and thoroughness of our independent assessment process. Many practices have also worked with us, and we have a positive working relationship. However, whilst we are confident in the high quality and robustness of our assessments and ADHD prescription support, you may still encounter some resistance.

     

    • Prior to starting with our ADHD medication service, we recommend asking your GP something along the lines of: “If clinicians from CAYP Psychology send a shared care agreement, would you accept it and prescribe long-term?” This may help you plan any long-term costs. 

    • We have also found a significant variation from practice to practice, meaning that if your GP refuses any aspect of care, another GP practice local to you may accept.

  • If you need to make changes to your prescription, but don't need an appointment, we can write a new prescription for you where appropriate. This will also include a brief consultation and liaison, as appropriate.

  • An increasingly common practice from GPs is that shared care will be accepted, on condition that you and your child have an annual review with the private provider who initiated the medication / treatment. This process does not apply for families who have medication managed by CAMHS. 

     

    We strongly recommend checking this policy with your GP practice, as part of your conversations with them about shared care agreements.

     

    Should you wish to have this review with us, we will complete a full consultation, and provide a written update to your GP. 

  • We recommend getting in touch with your GP. 

     

    Ask them: “If clinicians from CAYP Psychology send a shared care agreement, would you accept it and prescribe long-term?” 

     

    Ask them if they can provide the basic healthcare checks (blood pressure, regular heart-beat, height and weight). Some GP practices have refused to do these healthcare checks (for the purpose of accessing independent care). As we only offer an online ADHD medication service, we cannot take these data in person, and we, unfortunately, cannot proceed without your child’s healthcare information. 

     

    If the answer to either of these questions is “no”, then you may need to consider seeking this information privately, or via another GP surgery. We recommend that you do not start accessing our ADHD medication and titration service until this is resolved, as you will encounter difficulties at a later stage.

ADHD Medication Services

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