Families can get ADHD support from the Integrated Neurodevelopmental Team (INDT).  

The service provides: 

  • assessments to diagnose young people presenting with attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity difficulties 
  • support to manage medication from diagnosis up to the age of 18

INDT is made up of a:

  • Consultant Psychiatrist 
  • Principal Clinical Psychologist and team manager 
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists and prescribers 
  • Advanced Pharmacist 
  • Healthcare Assistants 

Who to refer a child or young person to

INDT work closely with:

  • child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
  • Community Paediatrics
  • IND ASD Team

If a child or young person with possible ADHD also needs mental health support, they should be referred to CAMHS first.

If they present with ADHD and autism, the team can start the assessment and refer onto the ASD team for further assessment.

How to refer a child

You can refer a child between 5 and 18 years old that is registered with a Royal Greenwich GP if you are:

  • school staff 
  • a GP 
  • social care services 
  • other children’s health services 

You must provide evidence that a child or young person displays behaviours consistent with possible ADHD. You must show that these behaviours appear in more than one setting and impact the child's daily life.
 
Once the child has been referred, families will be asked to:

  1. create an account on Oxcare, an online health record using their child's name and NHS number 
  2. invite the Oxleas team to link with their child's account

This allows families to: 

  • access reports and letters written by the team 
  • view the appointment diary 
  • message the team 
  • access self-help and self-management resources 

What happens during diagnostic assessments

The team follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for ADHD assessments.

For diagnostic assessments:  

  1. we ask families and schools to complete a questionnaire before we see them. This is a key part of the assessment. If it’s not completed, the child will be discharged 
  2. once we've received the questionnaires, we'll offer the child an appointment in clinic to complete a QB Test (a computer-based task). This takes around 20 minutes to complete. It tells us about a child’s levels of inattention, activity and impulsivity 
  3. we'll compare these levels to a sample of children the same age and gender who do not have ADHD 
  4. we'll review the results of the QB test and questionnaires, and decide the next steps 
  5. we may offer some children a 45 or 90 minute follow-up depending on the child’s needs. These are often remote but we may offer families a face-to-face appointment if necessary 

Support available following a diagnosis

Following a diagnosis, we may offer support with: 

  • behaviour 
  • medication  
  • training to schools on request 

After a diagnosis, we’ll: 

  • invite the family to a remote parent information session 
  • give the family information and resources about ADHD and behavioural support 
  • phone the family after the session to answer questions and discuss medication 

If the family do not want medication, we will discharge them.  

If they decide to start their child on medication:  

  1. we'll invite them into the clinic to do a physical examination and discuss medication options 
  2. they’ll get a prescription to start the medication 
  3. we'll ask the family to give feedback after 2 weeks 
  4. we'll do a follow up session after 4 weeks 
  5. the team will prescribe medication for the first 3 months and make any changes to medication as needed 
  6. when the child is stable on medication, the team will share a care agreement with the GP who will then take on prescribing it and do physical checks 
  7. the team will offer medication reviews at least once a year. Families can request a medication review if they have concerns. 

We support children until they turn 18. After that, their GP will continue to monitor their medication.

Find out more about how we can support with ADHD