Psychiatry-UK

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

The wait time for a child ADHD assessment was between 1-2 months. The demand for ASD assessments was stable. Two NHS contracts had already been concluded.

Staff received an induction when they joined the service. Clinicians completed additional child specific online training and a three month probation period. They completed their first three assessments supervised and medical secretaries reviewed their work. They worked as part of a peer group.

The service was easy to access. Its referral criteria did not exclude young people who would have benefitted from care.

Young people and carers had some flexibility and choice in the appointment times available from early mornings to late evening. Appointments were also available during weekends.

This service scored 64 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Young people told us the support they had received from the service had been ‘transformative’, helping them through their exams. One young person was given guidance on an access to work course.

Staff from different disciplines worked together as a team to benefit young people. The teams had effective working relationships with other relevant teams within the organisation and with relevant services outside the organisation.

The service used systems to help them monitor waiting lists and support young people. Staff supported young people when they were referred, transferred between services, or needed physical health care.

The provider had an 'acceptable use of information policy' and provided information governance (IG) training to all staff. There was an IG steering group who oversaw all incidents relating to IG. The provider met the standards for the 'Data Security and Protection Toolkit' (DSPT) - a comprehensive framework established by the National Health Service (NHS) to safeguard patient information.

The IG steering group published an IG newsletter and staff followed the provider's confidentiality policy. There was a privacy statement on the provider's website. Staff sought consent for sessions to be recorded and young people could make subject access requests to the provider.

Carers of children and young people said they felt involved in care planning and found that information and advice provided by the service was helpful to support in other areas such as school and educational settings.

Staff made sure young people could access information on treatment, local service, their rights and how to complain.

Young people were encouraged to share feedback on their symptoms and experiences during assessment and treatment whilst titrating on medications.

The service welcomed young people and carers feedback. Patient voice groups were established to help the service test different elements of the patient portal and to learn about the young persons experience. Young people were given the option to opt in once they had access to the patient portal.

Staff were confident in having difficult conversations with parents and carers. If there was a persistent issue and the parents were not co-operative with the session, future consultations were put on hold. The clinical lead was usually involved in having any difficult conversations.

Children requiring support with ADHD, ASD and general psychiatry usually came into the service through the website as private patients.

The provider also held contracts with NHS trusts to assess children on the ASD pathway. The pathway covered the first three stages of an ASD diagnosis. Families completed preassessment questionnaires and the child's medical summary. Staff met with the family to take the child's history and conducted an assessment. A diagnosis was either given or not concluded, similar to NHS services.

The service could support and make adjustments for people with disabilities, communication needs or other neurodiverse specific needs.

The service provided an inclusive service and ensured that experiences and outcomes for people were generally consistent and made in the child or young person’s best interest. People and families could self-refer to the service for a private assessment for ADHD, anxiety or mood symptoms. The main purpose of the service was to provide a diagnosis and medication. This started via a formulation and then to find the narrative of the child's difficulties. The provider continued support if medication was required. If the child required general psychiatry input, staff signposted to therapies from local CAMHS services.

There was not an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessor in every geographical area which staff said was an area for improvement.

Staff told us they were always looking at ways to improve outcomes for young people through the use of technology which has helped to reduce waiting times.

The provider informed us that the reduction in waiting times meant they would be able to increase service provision to more young people and their families.

We did not look at Planning for the future during this assessment. There is no previous rating for the Responsive key question so we cannot yet publish a score for this area.