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"ADHD referral"

About: Intellectual Developmental Disabilities /Learning Disability Services - Community / Neurodevelopmental Specialist Service

(as the patient),

I filled out a referral form to NeSS for an ADHD assessment in 2024. A difficult task as I already have autism which makes it harder to express facts about my life and lived experience. I received a rejection letter soon after advising me that my difficulties with executive function was due to past trauma and to seek therapy.

I've had various interactions with mental health services over the years, some helpful & most not, and my mental health, while imperfect, is managed quite well now and I continue to see a private counsellor to ensure it stays stable. I or my mother actually spent 10 plus years trying to get me assessed & diagnosed for autism, to be rejected with similar claims as above & many others that put the blame at her feet. To finally be diagnosed with autism at 15 & reassessed at 25ish with a confirmation of autism.

So to be rejected in this manner with no actual signposting to the mental health services they think I need, certainly appears to me that I was rejected due to the volume of claims & perhaps complexity of my case. Overall my brief experience has been terrible & is another potential failure with my attempts to interact with any NHS service that relates to the mind.

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Responses

Response from Alinda Gillott, Clinical Psychologist, IDD Psychologists, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust yesterday
Alinda Gillott
Clinical Psychologist, IDD Psychologists,
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 11/07/2025 at 14:39
Published on Care Opinion at 14:39


picture of Alinda Gillott

Thank you for sharing your experience of being referred to NeSS. I am sorry to hear our response to your referral was unhelpful. Our clinical team reviews all referrals and considers whether we are the most appropriate service for the person, and if not, what else might be useful.

I would like to assure you that our clinical decision making is not based on either complexity or volume of referrals. We consider each referral in its own right. We are mindful of our long waiting time for assessment and are therefore conscious of the potential consequences of being on a waiting list if we don't feel ADHD assessment is the most helpful way to support the person. As a neurodevelopmental service we recognise the value of identifying neurodivergence and therefore do not seek to decline referrals on the basis of volume.

If you would like to contact the service I would be happy to discuss your referral further with you.

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