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Rejected ADHD assessment.

Posted By composersk86

"Rejected ADHD assessment."

About: Community Mental Health / Community Mental Health Team (Adult) General practices in Ayrshire & Arran

(as a service user),

I have struggled for many years indeed going back to my childhood with what I believe to be ADHD. I cannot afford private diagnosis and treatment. This affects me in every area of my life from my marriage to my job. Every single school report I have from p2 to 6th year is so obvious in showing symptoms. I am absolutely struggling right now like you wouldn't believe. It affects every single thing I do and it's as bad as its ever been and I really cant cope. I've been off work for months due to anxiety issues and its horrendous. I know I have ADHD and I need help to cope.

I attended my GP and was advised that they believed that I had many traits of ADHD and they agreed to make a referral. Today I received a letter from the local mental health team stating that - despite not having met or spoken to me - I don't meet their threshold for an appointment to have an assessment. I am so utterly gutted at this. What does it take? What right do they have to do this when my GP requested this. I am swinging between livid and devastated. I deserve the opportunity to be tested as this is so massively affecting my life.

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Responses

Response from Programme Lead, Governance and Assurance, Primary & Urgent Care, NHS Ayrshire & Arran about a year and a half ago
NHS Ayrshire & Arran

Submitted on 12/01/2024 at 16:28
Published on Care Opinion at 16:28

Dear Composersk86

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your healthcare experience as I realise this will be a very anxious time for you.

I am responding on behalf of Primary Care regarding your comments of the help you received from your GP. I'm sorry I am unable to comment on your referral outcome which sits with another service team though do note you have tagged others into your feedback.

I am pleased to hear you felt supported by your GP though appreciate your disappointment following the referral outcome. I would be delighted to pass on your comments to your GP which they would be grateful to receive if you can respond to this post with the name of the practice / GP.

I do hope that you keep in touch with your GP who may be able to offer further advice or discuss alternative means of support.

Best wishes

Marie

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by composersk86 (a service user)

Hi my practice is South Beach Ardrossan. My GP is Dr Clark. She was really good and really understanding and helpful and caring. I assumed her referral would not have any issues and I'm utterly gutted and very angry the MH team have taken this approach without ao much as speaking to me when they have no idea about the impact on me as its a struggle every single day. Im also pretty disgusted they haven't even bothered responding so far. They dont seem to have any idea what their approach is doing to me.

Response from Programme Lead, Governance and Assurance, Primary & Urgent Care, NHS Ayrshire & Arran about a year and a half ago
NHS Ayrshire & Arran

Submitted on 15/01/2024 at 14:22
Published on Care Opinion at 14:22

Dear Composersk86

Thank you so much for providing the details of your GP / Practice. I will ensure your feedback is forwarded on to them.

Best wishes

Marie

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Christopher Gilmour, Service Manager, Community Mental Health, North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership about a year and a half ago
Christopher Gilmour
Service Manager, Community Mental Health,
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Submitted on 19/01/2024 at 13:00
Published on Care Opinion at 14:04

Dear Composersk86

Thank you for your feedback in relation to your recent experience with the Community Mental Health Team. I am sorry to hear about the distress you have experienced in relation to your mental health at this time and your disappointment with the outcome of your referral to the Team.

There are a number of reasons that your referral may have been declined including the detail that was provided within the referral itself or an alternative more appropriate service having been recommended. However, in order for me to better understand why this has happened, it would be helpful for me to look into the details of your case and the referral that was made. Please could you make contact with myself, Chris Gilmour, Service Manager, at the 3 Towns Resource Centre to provide details of your name and date of birth so that I can make further enquiries into the situation you have described?

You can make contact either by telephone on 01294 470010 or by mail FAO Chris Gilmour, Three Towns Resource Centre, Nelson Road, Saltcoats, KA21 5RF.

Many Thanks

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Update posted by composersk86 (a service user)

I have tried to call you but the receptionist was unable to find you. I'd be grateful if you could provide an email address as I really am uncomfortable talking on the phone especially as I dont have the support of my wife beside me this week. I was advised that email is not secure?? I was unable to leave mine as a result.

Update posted by composersk86 (a service user)

Good afternoon, in the interim I have now spoken to, if I remember right, an NHS Ayrshire and Arran consultant psychiatrist with whom the issue was able to be discussed at length and I have been able to provide her with significant additional information to assist the referral process from here on. I believe the outcome will now be different as a result of this and I have been advised to contact nest at the moment which I have already done and I have to wait on them getting in touch but this shouldn't be long as I contacted them several weeks ago.

Response from Christopher Gilmour, Service Manager, Community Mental Health, North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership about a year and a half ago
Christopher Gilmour
Service Manager, Community Mental Health,
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Submitted on 19/01/2024 at 17:20
Published on Care Opinion on 22/01/2024 at 09:08

Dear Composersk86

I am sorry I missed your phone call earlier today. However, I understand that you have since spoken with one of our medical staff and that following further information provided by yourself a positive way forward has been agreed. I am sorry again for the difficulties that you have experienced, although I hope that this outcome is satisfactory to yourself.

Many Thanks

Chris

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by composersk86 (a service user)

I have again tried phoning as it is now past the time when I was advised I would have been assessed. I have again been unable to speak with you and I have left a message which hasnt had a response. As before I cannot understand why emails are not used. I am having great difficulty with work re my condition and I really need the assistance an assesment could bring in terms of my managing the situation. Please could you respond with an idea of a timeline?

Response from Christopher Gilmour, Service Manager, Community Mental Health, North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership 6 months ago
Christopher Gilmour
Service Manager, Community Mental Health,
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Submitted on 27/12/2024 at 14:24
Published on Care Opinion at 14:54

Dear Composersk86

I am sorry that you have not had a response following your recent call to the service, although I have not received a message that you had called.

We do not routinely use email for communication due partly, as you have previously mentioned, to consideration of information security when sending sensitive or confidential information to external email addresses. In addition, staff email inboxes are not routinely monitored when staff are absent, creating additional risk that important or time-sensitive communications from patients would not be received or received on time.

Unfortunately, due to the current demand on the service we are not able to provide precise timelines for certain appointments, although an approximate timescale may have been provided to you at your previous point of contact with the service to give you a broad idea of when you are likely to receive an appointment.

Whilst we seek to avoid delay where possible, we do appreciate that waiting can be difficult and that people may experience further difficulty with or changes to their mental health prior to the time of their appointment. Where this is the case, and you need more immediate support we would encourage you to contact the Duty Service at the Community Mental Health Service by calling 01294 470010.

I am sorry for the frustration that this situation has caused you, although hope that the information provided above is of some benefit.

Many thanks

Chris

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Update posted by composersk86 (a service user)

Good afternoon,

I am surprised you didn't receive a message to advise I had phoned I was advised this would be passed on. From the point of view that adhd is something which results in a lot of worry it's difficult to wait having waited more than a year. I'm now at a stage where im potentially losing my job and this is an impacting factor in this so it is having a continued major impact on my life. I realise this is a busy service but surely there must be the ability to give some kind of idea because the endless waiting without sight of a rough idea is extremely hard to deal with as you can imagine.

Regards,

composersk86

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