Information for Patients Affected by Changes to ADHD Prescribing and Shared Care Arrangements in Suffolk

Who is this information for?
This information is for patients registered with a Suffolk GP practice who are affected by recent changes to ADHD prescribing and shared care arrangements introduced by primary care networks in Suffolk. If you have been affected, your GP practice or healthcare provider will have contacted you.

Who is this information not for?
This information does not apply to all patients with ADHD in Suffolk. If you have not been contacted about changes to your prescribing or shared care arrangements, this guidance is unlikely to apply to you. It also does not apply to patients registered with GP practices in Norfolk and Waveney.

Some GP practices may stop prescribing ADHD medications for their patients

The information below explains these changes and answers some frequently asked questions about what they may mean for people who receive ADHD medication through their GP practice.

Some GP practices in Suffolk have chosen to transfer responsibility for prescribing ADHD medication back to the specialist service managing a patient’s care. If this affects you, your GP practice should write to both you and your ADHD specialist to explain the change. The specialist should be given at least three months’ notice before the GP practice stops prescribing.

Why is this change happening?

GP practices are under a lot of pressure. Each practice needs to focus on providing the services that they must offer under the terms of their contract.
Some specialist medications are only safe for GPs to prescribe under a ‘Shared Care Agreement’ – which includes ADHD treatments.
GPs do not have to prescribe shared care medications if they feel unable to do so or if they are not able to do this in a safe manner – it is not part of their contract and has always been a core part of the specialist role.
As a result of these ongoing pressures, the local medical committee (LMC) in Suffolk has recommended that GPs stop prescribing ADHD medications and return responsibility for this back to ADHD specialists.

My GP has written to me to say that they are withdrawing from prescribing my ADHD medicine. Do I need to do anything?

Some GP practices in Suffolk may decide they can no longer safely continue to prescribe ADHD medications and provide the necessary ongoing medication monitoring, which is a service that falls outside of their core GP work.

If your GP practice chooses to end the prescribing of your medication, the responsibility for prescribing your ADHD medication should transfer back to the specialist service that most recently managed your ADHD care.

Your GP practice should share information with your specialist team to ensure a smooth handover, and patients should be contacted by their specialist team before this change happens.

What is ‘Shared Care’?

Medicines considered suitable for shared care are initiated by a specialist, but responsibility for ongoing prescribing and monitoring (blood pressure, blood tests etc.) may be transferred to a patient’s GP (with the GP’s agreement) provided sufficient support and information is shared between the specialist, the GP, and the patient. Default responsibility rests with the specialist. This can only be transferred to the GP with their agreement.

Due to the potential side effects, shared care medicines usually require significant monitoring. Regular reviews by the specialist are needed to confirm the ongoing need for treatment and to ensure that the current medicine and dose remain clinically appropriate. Even under shared care, the patient is notdischarged from the care of their specialist – care is shared between the patient’s specialist and their GP.

A shared care agreement (also referred to as a shared care protocol) is a document that sets out the responsibilities of the specialist, the GP, and the patient as they relate to attending appointments, ongoing prescribing and monitoring, and any necessary amendments to treatment.

Why do I need to be under the care of an ADHD specialist to continue to access my ADHD medicines?

ADHD medicines must be started and overseen by an ADHD specialist. A GP may be able to take over prescribing ADHD medicines, but only if there is a “shared care agreement” in place between the GP and the ADHD specialist.

A GP is not obliged to agree to share care and/or prescribe shared care medicines for their patient and where the GP declines to enter into a shared care agreement, full responsibility for all elements of the patient’s care remains with their specialist service.

What will the new arrangements look like?

This depends on who the patient’s ADHD specialist is. For some patients, their ADHD specialist will prescribe their ADHD medications and arrange any tests that might be needed.

For other patients, a new local ADHD service will prescribe their ADHD medications and arrange any tests that might be needed. This service went live in Suffolk on 1 April 2025 and is still operating.

Who will supply my medication?

How your ADHD medication is prescribed and monitored depends on which service is responsible for your care:

If you are under the care of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), prescribing and monitoring is arranged through the Suffolk GP Federation.
If you were referred through the NHS Right to Choose (RTC) pathway, your chosen provider will usually continue to prescribe and monitor your ADHD medication.

If you are unsure which service is responsible for prescribing your ADHD medication, please contact your GP practice for advice.

I’ve received treatment for ADHD under a Right to Choose provider, does that impact my ability to receive prescriptions from my GP?

The decision regarding ongoing prescribing remains with the specialist.

I’ve received a diagnosis of ADHD from a private provider, can my GP take over prescribing?

Please see information for patients considering privately funding ADHD assessment.

I’ve privately funded diagnoses for ADHD, can I transfer back to NHS care now for ongoing prescribing?