What is shared care?
Shared care is an arrangement between your ADHD specialist and your GP once your medication and dose are stable.
If your GP agrees to shared care, routine prescribing and some ongoing monitoring can transfer to primary care. HG Mind Works remains responsible for specialist ADHD review and for advising on treatment where specialist input is needed.
Shared care can reduce the ongoing cost of private prescribing, but it is not automatic. Your GP practice decides whether it is willing to accept the arrangement.
The reality of GP shared care
Not all GP practices accept shared care for ADHD medication started privately.
A GP may decline for a number of reasons, including local prescribing policies, commissioning arrangements or the practice’s own assessment of whether it can safely take on prescribing and monitoring.
We will explain this before treatment begins so you understand both possibilities from the outset.
If your GP declines shared care, your treatment does not automatically stop. We can continue private prescribing and monitoring where clinically appropriate.
Why might a GP decline shared care?
Local prescribing policy
Some ICBs and GP practices have local policies that restrict or do not support shared care for ADHD medication initiated privately.
This may mean your GP is unable to accept the arrangement even where they have no concerns about your diagnosis or treatment
Clinical responsibility
When a GP accepts shared care, they take on defined responsibilities for prescribing and monitoring.
A practice may decline if it does not feel able to take on those responsibilities safely or does not have sufficient experience of the medication or monitoring required.
Information about your assessment and treatment
Your GP may want enough information to understand how your diagnosis was reached, what treatment has been initiated and what monitoring has taken place before deciding whether to accept shared care.
We provide the relevant clinical documentation and can respond to requests for further information where needed.
Every HG Mind Works diagnostic outcome is independently reviewed by a second clinician before it is finalised.
Practice capacity
Shared care involves ongoing prescribing and monitoring responsibilities for the GP practice.
Some practices may decide that they do not currently have the capacity or resources to take on additional shared care arrangements.
A decision to decline shared care does not necessarily mean your GP disagrees with your ADHD diagnosis.
If your GP declines, we will explain your options for continuing private prescribing and specialist review with HG Mind Works.
The three outcomes and what each means for you:
GP accepts shared care
Routine prescribing and agreed monitoring transfer to your GP. HG Mind Works remains responsible for your specialist ADHD review and for providing specialist advice where needed.
Your ongoing private costs therefore reduce to the specialist review fee rather than continued private prescribing.
GP declines shared care
Your prescribing and monitoring can remain with HG Mind Works privately where clinically appropriate.
We will explain the ongoing costs and review arrangements clearly so you can decide how you would like to continue.
GP requests more time
Some GP practices may want you to remain stable on your current medication and dose for longer before considering shared care.
In this situation, we can continue private prescribing and monitoring where clinically appropriate and make a further shared care request later.
Whatever your GP decides, we will explain the outcome and what it means for your ongoing treatment before any changes are made.
How we support a shared care request
We keep your GP informed from the start. At the conclusion of your assessment, we write to your GP with the diagnostic outcome so your primary care record is up to date.
Once your medication and dose are stable and you meet the criteria for shared care, we send a formal request setting out your diagnosis, treatment, current dose, relevant monitoring and the responsibilities proposed under the shared care arrangement.
If your GP needs further clinical information, we can respond directly and provide supporting documentation.
We cannot guarantee that your GP will accept shared care. If they decline or ask for more time, we will explain what this means and the options available to you.
Have questions about shared care?
If you are considering ADHD treatment and want to understand shared care, private prescribing or the ongoing costs before you decide, speak to the ADHD team.
