Why does post-diagnostic care matter?

Receiving a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism can be an incredibly validating and empowering experience, but it’s normal for clients and their families to also feel a bit overwhelmed. This is why we offer post-diagnostic care, to help you navigate life beyond assessment.

We are the only healthcare provider to provide this unique ongoing care. It includes psychoeducation workshops led by our clinical team, where you can learn more about your diagnosis, and where appropriate, the prescribing and titration of ADHD medication.  

This is all in line with our standards of excellence. By providing expert guidance, educational resources, and emotional support, we ensure that our clients can build on their strengths and access tailored recommendations about how they can make positive changes to their lives.

Post-diagnostic support with ProblemShared

One of the primary goals of our ongoing support at ProblemShared is to equip individuals and their families with knowledge about how neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism can affect their experience of the world around them.

Psychoeducation workshops

Our psychoeducation workshops are facilitated by our expert post-diagnostic intervention (PDI) practitioners. They are virtual group sessions and combine the offering of information with opportunities to learn from and support each other. While participation is encouraged, it's your choice as to how much or little you would like to contribute. Our practitioners provide a safe, structured environment to allow opportunities for discussion, reflection and collaboration.

Over 4 sessions, we aim to help you understand your diagnosis and how it affects you, as well as how you can overcome any challenges you might face and build on your strengths. You will have the opportunity to listen to the lived experiences of others with the same diagnosis and share your own thoughts and feelings about neurodiversity.

ADHD medication: prescribing and titration

If you receive an ADHD diagnosis, our specialist ADHD nurse practitioners can prescribe medication where appropriate, which can then be dispensed by your online pharmacy. Note that this will only be possible if your GP has pre-agreed to accept shared care at the point of your referral (there is a section on shared care later in this article). We will also work with you to alter the dosage of your medications based on how you respond to the medication – a process known as titration.

Shared care

Once your titration period is stable, we will move you into a shared care arrangement with your NHS GP. They will take on the role of prescribing and monitoring your medications, and provide ongoing support for any challenges you might face as a result of your ADHD.

After receiving a diagnosis, we offer guidance about working directly with your GP to ensure they continue to prescribe your medication. If you have been diagnosed by one of our clinicians, they can begin to prescribe medication, support you through frequent reviews, and liaise with your primary care team to ensure joined up expert care.

Need more information?

If you have any questions about Right to Choose, our post-diagnostic care, the referral or assessment processes in general, you can head to the support resources section of our homepage, or explore our FAQs.

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What to expect during your autism assessment with ProblemShared

After being referred to our service by your GP, getting an autism assessment with ProblemShared is simple. Here are the steps you can expect to take on your assessment journey:

1. Pre-Assessment Questionnaire

• You will receive an email confirming that your referral to our service has been accepted, and asking you to complete some pre-assessment forms.
• One of these forms is the Pre-Assessment Questionnaire. Take some time to complete it carefully, as it will help our clinical team to get to know you and understand your situation better.

2. Informant Questionnaire

• The second form is called the Informant Questionnaire. This needs to be completed by your informant.
• An informant is someone who has known you since early childhood, like a parent or carer.
• You need to download the Informant Questionnaire from your client dashboard and send it to your informant to complete. When they are finished, they can send it back to you to re-upload onto your client dashboard.

Once both your Pre-Assessment Questionnaire and Informant Questionnaire have been completed and uploaded onto your client dashboard, you will receive another email with the date and time of your autism assessment sessions.

3. First session: Informant Interview

• One of our clinicians will interview your informant in a session called an Informant Interview. The Informant Interview will take place via our secure video conferencing platform and last approximately 3 hours.  
• You can be present too, if you wish, but you don't have to be.  
• The Informant Interview helps our practitioners to get a clearer picture of the challenges you faced during childhood. This information, combined with information gathered during your observational assessment, will help our practitioners with the process of diagnosis.  

4. Second session: Observation Session  

• The Observation Session will be overseen by a different clinician to the one who completed your Informant Interview. This is because of our commitment to quality of care. It's a way to achieve a second expert opinion during your autism assessment.
• The Observation Session will take place via our secure video conferencing platform and consist of some activities and tasks that the practitioner will ask you to complete. These are not tests, and there are no right or wrong answers. Our clinicians are simply trying to discover more about your situation to ensure they can conduct a robust assessment.

5. Third session: Feedback Session

• During your Feedback Session, the practitioner who carried out your observation session will discuss the outcome of your autism assessment with you. They will tell you whether you have been diagnosed with autism or not.
• A full report of your autism assessment will be sent to you via email 4-6 weeks after your Feedback Session.

How to prepare for your autism assessment with ProblemShared

Seeking a formal assessment can be a daunting process. However, preparing for your autism assessment can help ease some of the anxiety surrounding it.

Here are some tips on how to best prepare for your assessment with ProblemShared:

• Do some research. Before embarking on an autism assessment journey, you could take some time to familiarise yourself with the common traits and behaviours associated with autism, to gain a better understanding of the condition.

• Keep a journal. It can be helpful to keep a journal or diary leading up to your assessment where you write down any observations or experiences that relate to social interactions, communication, or social sensory sensitivities. This information could be helpful during your assessment, as it provides concrete examples of how these challenges affect your daily life.

• Gather information about your childhood. As an adult seeking an autism diagnosis, providing information about your childhood is crucial in aiding professionals in making an accurate diagnosis. Try reaching out to family members or caregivers who knew you as a child and ask them about any potential developmental delays or differences they may have noticed. Our clinicians recommend looking at childhood photographs to help jog your memory of your early development.

Ongoing care and support for clients who are diagnosed with autism

If you receive an autism diagnosis following your assessment with us, we offer a range of ongoing support options to our clients. Our clinicians can prescribe medication where appropriate, and we provide psychoeducation workshops where you can learn more about your diagnosis.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Right to Choose, referral, or the assessment process in general, you can head to the Resources section of our website, or explore our FAQs.

We currently provide the following services through the NHS Right to Choose scheme:

ADHD

• ADHD assessments for adults and children
• ADHD psychoeducation workshops
• Medication (where appropriate)

Autism

• Autism assessments for adults and children
• Autism psychoeducation workshops
• Ongoing post-diagnostic care

What is the NHS Right to Choose scheme?

If you are registered with a GP surgery in England and are referred by your GP for specialist healthcare, including neurodevelopmental assessments (such as for autism or ADHD), you have the legal right to select the support provider that best meets your individual needs.

This is known as your right to choose. It means you can decide which organisation will oversee your care, as long as they are located in England and are fully qualified. The scheme allows the NHS to better manage its wait lists and means you can access support faster, and at no cost to yourself. You can follow this link to read more about it on the NHS website.

Right to Choose with ProblemShared

If you suspect that you or your child might have autism or ADHD, ProblemShared offers assessment, diagnosis, medication, and post-diagnostic support to clients who come into our care through the NHS Right to Choose scheme.  

We are currently one of the UK’s largest providers of neurodevelopmental assessment and support services. We are a qualified NHS provider, CQC-registered, and operate short wait lists, ensuring you get access to the support you need quickly and efficiently.

Let’s take a look at each part of our service in more depth, so you know exactly what to expect.

Neurodevelopmental assessment & diagnosis

• Once we have accepted your referral into our service, and you have provided us with some important pre-assessment information, we will move you onto our wait list for an assessment.
• After the duration of our wait list has elapsed, we will notify you of the date of your assessment and the time of each session.
• Your assessment will consist of several sessions, on the same day where possible, overseen by our clinical team.
• You will be given the outcome of your assessment on the same day where possible. We will send you a full assessment report 4-6 weeks after this.

ADHD medication

If you receive a diagnosis for ADHD, we will offer you the option of exploring the use of medication as a treatment. Our specialist nurse practitioners can prescribe medication where appropriate, which can then be dispensed by your local pharmacy. We will also work with you to alter the dosage of your medications based on how you respond to the medication – a process known as titration.

Post-diagnostic support

Our care for our clients extends beyond diagnosis. We offer unique psychoeducation sessions, which are a space for you to better understand your diagnosis with our clinical team.

Suitability criteria

Our assessment process is carried out entirely remotely. We feel you will be better off being referred by your GP for a face-to-face assessment if:

• You are non-verbal and/or selectively mute

• You are not fluent in English
• You have a diagnosis of global development delay or a diagnosed intellectual disability (IQ below 70)
• You are currently receiving treatment for an active eating disorder, and/or in active family-based therapy or eating disorder therapy
• You are a person who is looked after, or under the guardianship of a local authority
• You are currently receiving treatment for drug or alcohol addiction
• You have experienced a current, or recently (within 3 months) resolved, psychotic episode
• You have a significant visual or hearing impairment
• You are undergoing safeguarding investigations
• You currently have high levels of risk in terms of your behaviour and mental health
• You require emergency treatment
• You have already received care or treatment for the neurodevelopmental condition for which you are seeking an assessment
• You are detained in a hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983, or on a Community Treatment order
• You are seeking a second opinion assessment, and have already been assessed for autism within the last year (this does not apply to assessment for ADHD)
• You do not have access to a laptop or computer (please note that an iPad which is at least 10” in size and can be propped up to be used handsfree can also be used to access our service, but handheld devices such as mobile phones cannot)
• You do not have access to an internet connection in a private place
• You or your child are not willing to conduct the assessment with your camera turned on for the duration of the assessment
• You are currently serving a prison sentence, or are on temporary release
• You serve in the armed forces
• You have had a head injury, brain surgery, or have a neurological condition that has left you with significant cognitive impairments
• You are unable to look after your self-care needs, or the needs of your dependants (e.g., washing, feeding, not taking prescribed medications)

Our quality care

ProblemShared is a community of people who care. Our standards of excellence are at the core of everything we do.

• Our assessments are strength-based and person-centred
• We’re the only provider to offer a neurodevelopmental service that includes post-diagnostic care
• Our clinicians are certified experts, and include occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, clinical psychologist and psychiatrists
• Our neurodevelopmental team are all highly qualified, accredited by their relevant professional bodies, and follow the codes of conduct drawn from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• ProblemShared is regulated by the CQC, meaning we are held to the highest standards of care

Need more information?

If you have any questions about Right to Choose, referral, or the assessment process in general, you can head to the support resources section of our homepage, or explore our FAQs.

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What to expect during your ADHD assessment with ProblemShared

After being referred to our service by your GP, getting an ADHD assessment with ProblemShared is simple. Here are the steps you can expect to take on your assessment journey:

1. Pre-Assessment Questionnaires

You will receive an email confirming that your referral to our service has been accepted, and asking you to complete some pre-assessment forms.  

To be completed by you:

• A Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS-S)
• A self-report questionnaire
• A physical health questionnaire

To be completed by your informant:  

• Informant Questionnaire

Please note that you need to download the Informant Questionnaire from your client dashboard and send it to your informant to complete. When they are finished, they can send it back to you to re-upload onto your client dashboard with the rest of your pre-assessment forms.

An informant is someone who has known you since early childhood, like a parent or carer.

2. Assessment date given

Once both your pre-assessment questionnaire and informant questionnaire have been completed and returned to us, you will receive another email with the date and time of your ADHD assessment.

3. Assessment occurs

Your assessment will take place via our secure video conferencing platform and will last up to 2 hours. We aim to give you the outcome of your ADHD assessment on the same day.

4. Report

A full report of your ADHD assessment will be sent to you via email 4-6 weeks after your assessment.

How to prepare for your ADHD assessment with ProblemShared

Seeking a formal assessment can be a daunting process. However, ensuring you are well-prepared for your ADHD assessment can help ease some of the anxiety surrounding it.

Here are some tips on how to best prepare for your assessment with ProblemShared:

1. Do some research. Before embarking on an ADHD assessment journey, you could take some time to familiarise yourself with the common traits and behaviours associated with ADHD, to gain a better understanding of the condition.

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2. Gather relevant information. Before your assessment, you could gather any previous evaluations or reports related to your symptoms or academic performance to support your assessment. This isn’t crucial, but it could provide valuable insights for our clinical team.

3. Keep a symptom log. Track the way that your ADHD shows up in your daily life leading up to the assessment, noting its intensity and impact. This record will give our clinicians a clearer picture of your experiences.

4. Prepare some questions. Write down any questions or concerns you have about ADHD or the assessment process beforehand so that you can ask your clinician when the time comes.

5. Be open and honest. During the assessment, be candid about your experiences without second-guessing yourself or trying to present yourself in a certain way - this will help to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Remember that it’s not a test – you can’t “fail”.  

Ongoing care and support for clients who are diagnosed with ADHD

If you receive an ADHD diagnosis following your assessment with us, we offer a range of ongoing support options to our clients. We can prescribe ADHD medication where appropriate, and provide psychoeducation workshops where you can learn more about your diagnosis with our team of expert clinicians.  

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Right to Choose, referral, or the assessment process in general, you can head to the Resources section of our website, or explore our FAQs.

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