Children and young people with ADHD are becoming increasingly vulnerable to changes in the way medications are being prescribed and administered by the NHS, it has been claimed.
Growing numbers of GP practices are turning down calls for support from privately diagnosed ADHD patients needing NHS prescriptions.
Patients who have been able to pay for private assessments are often advised to ask their GP to enter a shared care agreement, under which they are prescribe the appropriate medications on the NHS.
Clinics can ask GPs to enter into such agreements, or patients may approach their surgery directly to ask for help.
However, it has emerged that GPs practices are increasingly being advised to withdraw from these arrangements, where they exist, forcing patients to pay hundreds of pounds in monthly private prescription fees and medication.
Furthermore, individual GPs are not under any obligation to accept these arrangements as they fall outside their working contracts.
ADHD’s higher suicide rate means we are very worried for the direct risk to life of these actions
Henry Shelford, chief executive of the ADHD UK charity, said the impact on young people was “devastating”. He estimated that thousands of patients had lost their shared care arrangements in recent months.
He told SENDsational Futures: “We are grateful for all the GPs who have provided a lifeline for adults and children with ADHD by providing support through shared care agreements.
“But we’re devastated for the unravelling of those same agreements and the potentially life-long consequences that is going to have.
“For children, especially, the impact can be devastating. Educational and life opportunities often lost forever. Life paths permanently changed.
“ADHD’s higher suicide rate means we are very worried for the direct risk to life of these actions.
“The Government and BMA need to resolve their differences on the GP Contract and work together to make ADHD support a standardised part of GP patient care.”
The availability of shared care arrangements is determined mainly by integrated Care Boards, which are responsible for local health services.
Last year, Suffolk and Essex advised GPs to stop prescribing ADHD medication under shared care agreements for all patients, including those who were diagnosed under the NHS.
Other counties, including Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and parts of Berkshire have no existing arrangements in place for shared care.
The move away from shared care is said to be overwhelming ADHD services in some parts of the country, leading to even longer waiting lists. The waiting time for an NHS assessment can be several years, including for children and young people, as local mental health services are at breaking point.
A private assessment can often be arranged in a matter of weeks, though the wait for reports and medication can take several months in some cases. However, the costs involved make this option prohibitive for many families.
Data from NHS England suggests around 700,000 people were on the waiting list for ADHD assessment in September 2025, an increase of neatly 50% on the year before.
One parent of an ADHD child, who asked not to be named, told SENDsational Futures: “We paid for a private assessment believing that we could get the medication via the NHS. In doing so, we removed ourselves from the lengthy NHS waiting list for assessment locally and speeded up the process for others.
“We were then told we had to access prescriptions and medication privately as our GP surgery refused to engage with us on shared care. It is putting a real strain on our family finances, and we are just about managing to meet the monthly charges.”
*Have you been affected by the lack, or removal, of ADHD shared care arrangements in your area? Please contact us at editor@sendsationalfutures.com
