No more ADHD referrals at the Western Trust: MLA raises concerns
Patient referrals for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from local doctors can ‘no longer be sustained’, the Western Trust has said, sparking concerns that people are now being left in limbo.
The development comes after a huge jump in referrals over the past five years and Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has now written to the Department of Health asking it to address the issue as a matter of urgency.
The Western Trust says diagnostic assessment and treatment of ADHD within its adult services ‘is currently not commissioned’. As such, it has no allocated extra resources to deal with ‘a significant growth in referrals from GPs’, but has been doing what it can to take on extra cases. It has now reached a point, however, were this has become ‘increasingly challenging and can no longer be sustained’.
“Given these challenges and the need to ensure that we direct our available resources to deliver services that have been commissioned, the Trust, unfortunately, will no longer accept new ADHD diagnostic referrals,” a spokesperson said.
Sinéad McLaughlin says the development is ‘extremely concerning’.
"This news will, undoubtedly, provoke consternation among those who may have already sought a referral from their GP for diagnosis and treatment and among those who may be considering doing so. People will be rightly concerned that they will be left in limbo.
“Without a commissioned service from the Department of Health, the limited service that currently exists has only been possible with the goodwill of local practitioners."
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