NHS Shared Care Agreement
A Shared Care Agreement is an arrangement between you (the patient), your NHS specialist, and your GP. It allows your care and treatment for a specific health condition to be safely shared between your hospital team and your GP — but only when your condition is stable and predictable, and with your consent.
The agreement outlines:
Information about your prescribed medicine
Guidance on prescribing and monitoring
The responsibilities of you, your specialist, and your GP
Please note:
There is no obligation for a GP to enter into a Shared Care Agreement. Each request is considered individually, and the decision will depend on clinical and practice capacity factors.
ADHD Referrals and Medication
You may choose to have your ADHD assessment through:
The NHS, or
A Private Provider, for example, if NHS waiting times are long or due to personal preference.
If your assessment and treatment are carried out privately, the prescribing and monitoring of your medication must remain with the private provider.
We can only take over ADHD prescribing that has been initiated by an NHS service, once a formal NHS Shared Care Agreement is in place.
Transferring ADHD Treatment to the NHS
If you would like to transfer your ADHD treatment from a private provider to the NHS:
You must be referred to an NHS mental health team for an assessment and confirmation of your ADHD diagnosis.
The NHS consultant will review your case and confirm whether your treatment meets NHS prescribing criteria.
Once your condition is stable, the NHS specialist may request a Shared Care Agreement with your GP for ongoing prescribing.
However, please note that:
The NHS specialist remains responsible for your overall care and regular reviews.
GPs are not obliged to accept Shared Care Agreements.
At present, our practice is unable to accept Shared Care Agreements for ADHD treatment started privately, due to additional clinical demands.
Therefore, ongoing care and prescribing will remain with your private provider until NHS arrangements are confirmed.
Private ADHD Diagnosis
If you choose a private ADHD assessment, please be aware:
We cannot prescribe or monitor medication that has been started privately.
Your private clinician is responsible for all aspects of your ADHD care.
Moor Green Lane Medical Centre does not have a shared care policy with private providers.
To transfer care to the NHS, a new NHS assessment is required.
Only once the NHS specialist confirms the diagnosis and prescribing criteria are met can a Shared Care Agreement be established.