Psychiatry-UK 2023-07-22 Person 5 5 0

Not only was the process speedy, but also friendly, approachable and understanding. The prescribing team (Debbie Linton in particular) were constantly available to answer any questions and concerns without any trouble, and I was never made to feel like an annoyance. Furthermore, the team were seemingly always available to help. Even when they reasonably shouldn't be - like the evening or the weekend - which was honestly shocking; and super helpful given the challenges of timekeeping that ADHD presents. My particular prescriber was endlessly patient with my anxieties and queries, making time to thoroughly answer my questions and provide me with decisions about my care - helping me feel in control and cared for. On top of this, the assessment process was infinitely faster than the alternative NHS waiting lists, and was a comprehensive process all the same. One criticism in this area it would be a lack of specific guidance on answering the questionnaires; which did make answering them in a timely manner a challenge for someone with ADHD. Perhaps some more information on the questionnaire itself, or a separate document attached to offer some guidance for the subject and their family/carers. A further criticism would be the structure of the medication review forms on the Web portal which have a tendency to stack up if you miss one. This means there's some confusion about which one you should fill out each time because they aren't ordered by date issued or marked in any way beyond a number: I.e. 'form 3' for a previous medication titration, say 30mg, and 'form 3' for 40mg share the same name on the website - making it confusing which you should click. This meant that in my case, I have several forms available to fill in at any one time, and because I don't which I did last time I never know which one to do this time. I would suggest a more detailed presentation of the forms to alleviate this problem. A final criticism is the threat of discharge if you don't contact the team for a given time. An inherent part of living with ADHD is a difficulty with organisation and time keeping, and sometimes you forget to do the forms. And if you miss the email reminders you may end up discharged. Though I see the necessity of staying in touch during the titration process for safety and legality, it could be more accommodating for ADHD symptoms in that regard. One final note I'd like to make is on the inclusivity of the process. While the official stuff like prescriptions and addresses have to stick legal names and gender markers, the individual staff and personal sections of the website are very accommodating for those of us with preferred names and gender markers who haven't made official changes. That was really reassuring and made the process far more comfortable than the GP visits.