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Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Service
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The Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Service provides diagnostic assessment and ongoing medical management of ADHD. This is for people over the age of 18 who are living in the Norfolk and Waveney area.
- Service Contact: Telephone 01603 974683.
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Address:
80 St Stephen's Road, Norwich, NR1 3RE
- Service hours: This service is available from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 17:00.
What this service offers
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder is a diverse neurodevelopmental condition characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, and can cause significant impairment in different settings which includes home, work and/or education. Of course, everyone’s experiences of living with ADHD are as unique as you are, and we will be with you every step of the way to provide the best outcomes we can for you.
Who are we?
The Adult ADHD team is made up of specialist ADHD nurses who you will meet at your assessment. We also have non-medical prescribers, who are nurses, that can prescribe medication. Our non-medical prescribers will work with you to provide ADHD treatment tailored to your needs. We are supported by our specialist ADHD social worker, and a Consultant Psychiatrist.
What do we do?
We specialise in working with adults, over the age of 18 years, living in Norfolk and Waveney who have an existing diagnosis of ADHD, or anyone who may require a diagnostic assessment of ADHD.
We are a diagnostic and prescribing service which means once you receive your diagnosis of ADHD, we will offer medication to help you manage your ADHD symptoms, where appropriate. We will work closely with you to ensure you receive the correct treatment and will review your progress on a regular basis.
What happens at your diagnostic assessment appointment?
Prior to your diagnostic appointment we will send you a letter and may ask you to complete an ADHD self-assessment screening questionnaire which will help us understand how your potential symptoms of ADHD affect you in your daily life at home, work and/or education.
We may also ask for someone else who really knows you to complete an observer ADHD screening assessment questionnaire as this gives us valuable insight into how some close to you perceives your potential ADHD symptoms.
We would really like to get to know you and if you have any reports such as school, college or university reports you would like to share we would love to see them. Some people have asked friends and family to provide a testimony of what you are like, and some people have even asked their employers for some feedback they can bring to their assessment appointments.
Be prepared as the diagnostic assessment can take up to three hours, and together we will complete a comprehensive assessment which will help ensure any diagnosis you subsequently receive is robust, reliable and in line with current NICE guidelines.
We will offer you a follow up appointment, to give you feedback following your assessment, and you will receive a comprehensive report from us.
Following your diagnosis and if you want to commence treatment, we will we see you again to explore your options, and work closely with you to ensure you receive the correct treatment.
What happens at a medication review?
We will need to do some checks such as your height, weight, blood pressure and pulse. We will also talk about your physical health and mental well-being.
We will assess your response to treatment and if it is working for you or not, and whether you are experiencing side effects.
We will make any adjustments you may need to improve your response to treatment and once you are stable, we will refer you back to your GP, who will continue to prescribe your ADHD treatment for you.
As part of your medication review, we may liaise with other services, complete onward referrals, and gain feedback from yourself, to develop your treatment plan.
What happens if you already have a diagnosis of ADHD and want to start, or restart, treatment?
If you have an existing diagnosis of ADHD and wish to start, or restart treatment, we will see you to offer medication and work closely with you to ensure you receive the correct treatment and will review your progress on a regular basis.
Young people transitioning from paediatric and young people’s services to adult services.
If you are transitioning to the adult ADHD service from your paediatric service or young people’s service, when you reach the age of 18, we will contact you 12 months after your last appointment with the young person’s service to offer you an annual review of your ADHD medication. We work closely with your ADHD paediatric team, and if you have any special requirements, we will work together to support you with your transition to adult services.
If you need to see us before your annual review, we would be very pleased to see you, although we would ask you request your GP to refer you to us rather than contact us directly, as your GP will send us an electronic referral, which helps us track referrals in and out of the service.
Annual ADHD treatment reviews
We also offer an annual review for anyone who is in treatment with the adult ADHD service, for as long as you are being prescribed ADHD medication. Your annual treatment review is like a medication review as we will check your height, weight, blood pressure and pulse. We will also check your ADHD medication is working well for you, and if necessary, will work with you to make any changes. We will also talk about your physical health and mental well-being, and together we will update your ADHD treatment plan. We will also write to your GP to keep them updated and make them aware of any changes to your ADHD treatment plan.
What happens if I need to see you before my annual treatment review?
We understand things may change for you and we are always pleased to see you in between if you need a review of your ADHD treatment. Although we would ask you request your GP to refer you to us, rather than contact us directly, as your GP will send us an electronic referral, which helps us track referrals in and out of the service.
When do appointments take place?
If you are new to treatment or restarting treatment, we will see you at regular intervals usually fortnightly or monthly, until you are feeling stable and comfortable with your ADHD medication. These reviews usually take between 30-60 minutes and once you are stable, we will offer you annual treatment reviews.
Opportunities for you to help us develop our Adult ADHD service.
We would like you to help us to develop our adult ADHD service, and we work very closely with our participation team with lots of different projects. For example, this ADHD directory page was co-produced with the help of our service users.
There are other participation projects for you to be involved with, including the development of a Norfolk and Waveney adult ADHD website, and the development of an informal adult ADHD peer led group. If you are interested in being involved in these or any other projects please contact our Participation team or speak to your ADHD clinician.
Access this service
How do you get referred to us:
Your GP can refer you to our service, and if you are a young person your community paediatric service will transfer your care to us once you reach the age of 18.
If you think you may have ADHD, or already have a diagnosis of ADHD but need to start treatment or have a review of your medication you should ask your GP to refer you to the Adult ADHD service.
Visiting and onsite facilities
Where are the appointments?
We can see you at various locations across Norfolk, and Waveney.
We are currently located at:
- 80 St Stephen’s Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 3RE
- Northgate Hospital, Great Yarmouth
- Chatterton house, Kings Lynn
We always like to see you face to face, especially as we get to know you, although we do offer appointments remotely either via a video link, or telephone.
Venue information:
Some of our sites offer free car parking with disabled spaces available. If there is no onsite parking, we let you know and where we can advise you of pay and display car parks nearby or the regular bus routes.
Can someone come with me to my appointments?
Yes, absolutely. If you want to bring a partner, friend, parent, relative, carer or any significant other to your appointment please feel free to do so.
Accessibility:
- There are accessible toilet facilities at all our sites
- We offer disabled access at all our sites
- We will always aim to accommodate the needs of individuals
- There is accessible fire evacuation process in place at all our sites
- We have non-gravel car parking available at Northgate and Chatterton House, and there is no charge for parking at these sites
- We can provide easy read information if needed
- Induction loop is available
- Interpretation and translation services are available
Urgent help
If you are a service user and are in crisis and need support urgently you can contact your service on the number which will have been provided.
Call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to our 24 hour mental health crisis line.
If you are with someone who has attempted suicide, call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives.
If anyone is at serious risk of harm, call 999 and ask for the police.
For non-life threatening medical situations, call NHS111 on 111.
For more information, see Help in a Crisis.
Safety planning:
If you have ongoing concerns about your safety, or physical health, we recommend that you create a keeping safe plan that helps identify things you, or others, can do to make you feel safer.
Your safety plan may relate to direct risks to yourself or others or linked to impulsive actions or thinking that indirectly affects your recovery.
People often find it helpful to identify people (and contact details) they can reach out to, what your triggers are for feeling unsafe or for others to be concerned about you, and what are the early warning signs that you may be finding it harder to keep yourself safe.
Most importantly, identify what your strengths are, what keeps you safe and things that help you to feel safer and more hopeful. If you have a keeping safe plan, it is often helpful to share this with your family, friends or professionals involved in the plan.
Resources
Websites:
YouTube videos
www.youtube.com/@HowtoADHD
www.youtube.com/@theadhdadults
Access to Work:
Books:
- Taking care of your Adult ADHD (2010) R.A Barkley & CM Benton
- Delivered from Distraction: Getting the most out of life with ADHD (2017) EM Hallowell & JJ Ratey
- ADHD 2.0 New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction – from Childhood through Adulthood (2011). EM Hallowell & JJ Ratey
- You Mean I’m not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? The Classic self-help book for Adults with ADHD (2006). K Kelly & P Ramundo.
- Sit Still Timmy 2023 Tim MacWilliam – Award winning memoir by a local author with late diagnosed ADHD who was helped by The NSFT Norfolk AND Waveney NHS Adult ADHD Service.