Psychiatry-UK

Ratings - Community-based mental health services for adults of working age

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the registered location for Psychiatry UK on 23 January and completed remote inspection activity on 23-24 and 27-28 January 2025. We announced the inspection so that we had access to the evidence we needed to make a judgement and so that we could speak with staff while on site.

Psychiatry UK provides consultant-led mental health care and treatment for adults living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mood disorders. A team of prescribing nurses provide titration treatment. ADHD care is provided to NHS patients through commissioned contracts, some of which operate on a ‘right to choose’ basis and the service provides a range of mental health services to private patients. Right to choose is a national initiative that enables patients to opt for a specific service or provider once they are referred to a specialty by a General Practitioner (GP) or other NHS professional.

The service also provides online remote assessment and titration services for children and young people (CYP) living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) contracts. Commissioned services formed part of wider clinical pathways. The service provides CYP care to patients aged from 6 years old to 18 years old. While there is no formal transitional care pathway in place where patients still require care when they become 18 years old, the service liaises with NHS commissioners to arrange continuity of care.

At the time of our inspection, Psychiatry UK had over 90,000 patients aligned to their service either at the point of referral, on waiting lists for assessment, or receiving treatment following a diagnosis.

People's experience of this service

We found that the majority of patients were receiving good quality, safe, effective and responsive care. Patients and carers told us they understood waiting times were shorter than NHS waiting times and they were satisfied with the process.  

Patients felt staff were kind, helpful, and provided person-centred care. Patients and carers commented that the service provided good information during their assessments and on the service website. Most patients found the patient online portal easy to navigate, and that staff were responsive when they made contact. Patients felt that their physical health was also considered by the service. Patients told us staff provided them with online resources around sleep training and reading recommendations, in addition to being issued with blood pressure monitors through the post. 

While the people we spoke to expressed that they were happy with their care, we were made aware by a small proportion of patients that they were dissatisfied with the care they were receiving from Psychiatry UK. They told us they had experienced long waiting times whilst waiting for assessments and treatment. They also told us they had difficulty contacting the service on the phone due to long delays and did not always find the online patient portal helpful or easy to navigate. Some of those patients told us they had made formal complaints to the service, and they were not always satisfied with their complaint outcome.