Shared Care Requests
At our practice, we are committed to providing safe, high-quality care for all our patients. Some treatments, such as medications for ADHD, certain mental health conditions, and other specialist medications, may need what is called a shared care agreement.
A shared care agreement is a formal arrangement where your GP and a specialist share responsibility for prescribing and monitoring your treatment. These agreements are always voluntary. GPs are not obliged to accept them and, when they do, they must be confident it is safe and appropriate to do so.
While we often accept shared care agreements with NHS specialists, requests from private providers will only be considered under the NHS Right to Choose pathway. This is because:
- Private providers do not always offer the ongoing specialist care that shared care requires
- GPs have a responsibility to check that the provider is properly qualified, regulated, and working to NHS standards, which can be more difficult to confirm
- Some medications may not be commonly prescribed in the NHS or may require monitoring that is outside a GP’s expertise or capacity
Each request under the Right to Choose pathway is reviewed on a case-by-case basis against strict safety and governance criteria. There may be a short wait while we make a decision. During this time, please continue to get your prescriptions and monitoring directly from your specialist.
We encourage you to discuss any planned private or Right to Choose referrals with your GP in advance so you are aware of any potential limitations on shared care. Where appropriate, we can offer referral to the equivalent NHS pathway instead. We appreciate that there may be long waiting lists to access NHS specialist services, and we will do our best to support you during this time.
Thank you for your understanding.
