Gatekeeping

Judging by an extraordinary (stunningly, shockingly, awful) bulletin seen on a GP Practice's online Patient news page in an area of England last Summer ...I think the magic phrase (clue) which might the source of your GP apparent reluctance about adult ADHD referral - might revolve around something known as a "Shared Care Agreement" or SCA.  This isn't the inly sensitivity, as there can be comments about Secondary Care, Private Diagnosis, Right To Choose and Individual Funding Requests / medication etc.  (If your eyes have, understandably, glazed over already with terminology overload: please skip down to the last link I have included).

The below research paper "Support for primary care prescribing for adult ADHD in England: national survey" (source: British Journal Of General Practice, Spring 2024) highlights the apparent "lottery" on the subject - varying from one GP Practice to the next one:

https://bjgp.org/content/74/748/e777

There is a revised NICE guideline "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management NICE guideline [NG87] Published: 14 March 2018 Last updated: 13 September 2019

which might prove useful to read:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG87

...in particular, within the above, the section "Information For The Public" (for which there is a short PDF you can download):

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/resources/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-diagnosis-and-management-pdf-6132430815685 

(At the end of the PDF there is a list of links to ADHD organisations for further help and support).

The ADHD UK website includes a dedicated section about Adult ADHD Diagnosis Pathways (including what to do if you experience a reluctant GP):

https://adhduk.co.uk/diagnosis-pathways/

Best wishes with your diagnosis journey.

I can understand them being reluctant to refer people given current waiting lists. If it were me I'd have just said to the doctor that I didn't know why I needed to be referred and that the specialist clinic told me so. But then I don't know much about ADHD so that is a perfectly reasonable answer for me.

It would be appropriate for your specialist clinic to write to your GP to ask them to refer you, rather than you asking yourself. They don't have to refer you, but the specialist should be able to ask.

But to be honest I can't see any reason why the specialist you saw can't refer you for an ADHD assessment him/herself. In theory they should be able to do this (and thus bypass the GP), but there seems to be all sort of weird and wonderful policies and procedures in place that they like to adhere to for referrals.

Good luck.

More importantly, this could be important evidence if this case needs to go to a tribunal from the General Medical Council for professional misconduct should this carry on - it’s strange how GP’s were required by law to give Covid vaccines in compliance with Covid mandates yet, as we know from many other cases long before Covid, professional misconduct was overlooked until it was too late - constant accountability and monitoring goes both ways in the post-Covid era 

It seems very strange yet not surprising behaviour from a GP who does not seem to be accountable to anyone, not even within the NHS - this GP should be investigated by the General Medical Council for professional misconduct if this carries on - either go to Citizens Advice or the free legal aid to see what can get done about this 

I've completed the form and returned it via email with the appropriate notes . Hopefully he'll consider me worthy of the referral. Maybe it's the new way of keeping the waiting list down, don't put anyone mew on it! Very frustrating. Thanks 

Hergé said:

Eventually he forwarded me an email with a questionnaire that I'd already completed for my ASD assessment. He also wants "a few paragraphs" to explain my thoughts on my answers.

You could push back and say you are not an expert but that your assessment results state you shoud be assessed - give him this note and it should be case closed.

If it was verbal then go back to the assessing organisation and ask for it in writing to pass to your GP - it should be a simple thing for them to deliver.

That would be my approach if I were in your situation anyway.