ADHD Information

ADHD – A Guide For Portree Patients

ADHD is an increasingly common condition that can affect people of all ages, although it starts in childhood. Recent advances in treatment of this condition including medication and psychological therapies have led to many more people coming forward for help and diagnosis. Unfortunately the funds and resources have not kept pace with demand. People with features of ADHD can benefit from support and psychological therapies provided by the primary care mental health team (PCMHT) which can be accessed via direct appointment after an appointment with your GP. Diagnosis of ADHD is not straightforward and requires in depth psychiatric assessment where other conditions besides ADHD are also considered. There are medications that can also be useful and this must be initiated by a specialist and must have ongoing monitoring with regular specialist appointments, usually with a psychiatrist. In NHS Highland this would be provided by the community mental health team (CMHT) which is only accessed by referral made by your GP or the primary care mental health team.

The following are some resources suggested by one of the NHS Highland community mental health team psychiatrists:

General information sites and signposting

ADHD UK – https://adhduk.co.uk/

ADHD and You – https://adhdandyou.co.uk/

ADDitude – https://www.additudemag.com/

Third Space – https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait/diagnosis-resources/

General resource packs: 

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/adhd-in-adults

Student support:

https://www.studentinformation.gov.scot/students/additional-support-needs

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/uni-guide-adhd-students

The University of Cambridge provides guidance to staff on supporting students with ADHD. This guidance is a useful checklist of adaptations and accommodations that might be considered in other educational settings – https://www.disability.admin.cam.ac.uk/working-disabled-students/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd

Support at work:

ADHD at work Welfare Pack (useful to prompt discussion with employers and Occupational Health clinicians) – https://adhduk.co.uk/adhd-and-work/

Information on access to work: 

https://adhduk.co.uk/access-to-work/

Peer support:

https://adhduk.co.uk/support/

Portree Medical Centre and Specialist ADHD Services

There is considerable variability between NHS health boards in terms of the allocation of resources for certain conditions, especially in the area of mental health. In 2025 NHS Highland implemented changes to the “ADHD pathway and service plan” and patients who had been referred by their GP to the previous service will have received a letter from NHS Highland regarding this. There are now criteria that must be met for people with ADHD, or symptoms of ADHD, to receive specialist services – termed Level 4 criteria. The threshold for meeting these criteria is, in our view, very high. Currently no funding has been given for a “Level 3” service. This means that the majority of people who have ADHD, or may have ADHD, are not funded by the NHS in Highland for specialist ADHD services including diagnosis and medical treatment.

We appreciate that this is extremely disappointing for many of our patients and we take seriously the frustration of affected patients as well as their family and friends who often advocate on their behalf. It may be that the funding priorities will be reviewed by NHS Highland in the future and we will update our practice in line with this.

There are many private healthcare services available and some companies will offer ADHD diagnosis and treatment. We would encourage you to ensure you are happy with the professional standard of any such services. It is always essential that you let us know if you are taking any privately prescribed medications such as ADHD medication as it may have other implications for your health that your GP may need to know about to look after you.

Some private providers of ADHD medications and services may suggest asking your GP to supply the prescription “on the NHS” while diagnosis and ongoing review is paid for privately. This may be more common in some health boards than others. In NHS Highland funding has not been prioritised to Level 3 ADHD criteria. It would be unethical for an NHS service to fund medication for those who can pay for private care while those who cannot pay have no service at all. Unfortunately this means we cannot provide ADHD prescriptions for patients who are not under regular review with an NHS psychiatrist.