ADHD assessments at Jacobs Clinic for children and young people are conducted according to NICE guidelines. It involves 4 main steps:

 

Step 1

Completion of our online patient registration form and consent form.

 

Step 2

Both school contact and parents will be sent an online questionnaire pack which includes Conners 4 Rating Scale.

 

Step 3

QbTest and ECG to be completed in the clinic which is based in a child friendly GP Practice. You will be given an appointment for this after we receive your completed registration form. 

 

Step 4

A full ADHD assessment with our specialist doctor. This will be a face to face appointment in our clinic. If ADHD diagnosis is confirmed, treatment options will also be discussed.  

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Assessment

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A full initial ADHD assessment usually takes around 2.5 hours. 

 

Prior to offering your appointment, we would ask for relevant information to be completed by you and your child’s school (with your permission) and depending on the child’s age, for the child to complete. These will include completing some online ADHD specific questionnaires and Conners 4 Rating Scale. This will contribute to our diagnostic assessment and will also help in the transfer of care to NHS. 

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Once we receive all the information, we can offer you an appointment. It involves taking a detailed developmental history from parents, speaking to the child, a QBTest and an ECG. Physical check-up such as blood pressure, heart rate, height and weight will be taken. 

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QbTest is an FDA-cleared test measuring all 3 core symptom domains; hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. QbTest involves a 15 or 20-minute computer-based task that measures your child’s ability to maintain attention and impulse control. Meanwhile, an infrared camera tracks movements, and therefore activity, during the test. The results are based on a comparison of your child’s performance with data from other children of the same sex and age who do not have ADHD. The test equipment consists of an infrared camera, a headband with an infrared marker attached to it, a laptop, and a responder button.  

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We offer a comprehensive assessment and treatment program for children with ADHD. All our initial appointments will be face to face with our specialist doctor in our clinic based in a child friendly GP Practice in Sale. Following the assessment, you will be given a full feedback on the outcome. If a diagnosis of ADHD is confirmed, further advice on how/where to access help will be explained. You will then receive a full written report with the assessment findings and recommendations.
 

If an ADHD diagnosis is confirmed, then treatment options that meets your child’s individual needs will be discussed and finalised in consultation with both the child and parents. Follow up review appointments will be arranged on a 4 weekly basis until they are titrated to an effective dose on medication. There will be an additional charge for the medication at the pharmacy. It is highly likely that treatment will reduce impairment and improve quality of life.

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Shared Care with GP

 

We recommend patients speak to their GP before their first assessment and check if they will accept shared care arrangements with us. We will contact your GP, with your consent, asking for your child’s medical records prior to their first appointment with us. We will share your child’s diagnosis and treatment plan with your GP soon after the first assessment and will initiate a conversation about shared care at that time. 

 

When your child is stable on medication, we will request to move you to shared care with your GP for your prescriptions which, if accepted, will then be at the NHS standard prescription charges. 

 

We will also have an understanding with you and your GP that if there are any concerns whist you are under shared care, we will be involved in your care and will be available for you or your GP. You will need to have review appointments every 6 months with us to continue the shared care protocol with your GP unless you have been transferred to your local NHS ADHD service. This is because GP’s cannot prescribe ADHD medication unless your child is under a Specialist.  Once stabilised review appointments with us will be every 6 months and will be charged £250. We will support you all the way. 

 

In the unusual circumstance that your GP does not accept shared care, repeat private (pink) prescriptions can be continued by the clinic for a fee of £30 per month plus the cost of the medication at the pharmacy.