Health minister not closing 'awful' ADHD wait list

Chloe Wallser saved up for a private ADHD diagnosis after being on the public waiting list for two years

The health minister has said he will not close the waiting list for adult ADHD assessment, as one woman warns the wait for a diagnosis is "making people's lives awful".

It comes after officials said in March they were considering closing the waiting list because the backlog meant there was "no point putting more people on them".

In a letter to the head of the health scrutiny panel, Deputy Tom Binet said he had decided to focus on addressing the waiting list before "further considering" shutting it.

Chloe Wallser, 27, said she decided to save up for private care after two years "not hearing anything back from the waiting list".

'A huge stress'

She said she was one of the "lucky few" who could afford private treatment but it was not an easy choice to make.

"It's just really sad that there's so many people that are stuck still waiting with no kind of hope as to what's going to happen," Ms Wallser said.

But she said she was not aware there would be an ongoing cost to her medication after being privately diagnosed: "That's a huge stress... knowing you may have to choose between the medication you need and other necessities."

Ms Wallser and many others who responded to a review of how ADHD medicine is prescribed were in favour of a shared care arrangement where GPs and psychiatrists worked together to look after patients.

Responding to the review, Mr Binet said the issue was "discussed recently" with the Primary Care Body (PCB) representing GPs in the island.

He said there were some "clinical disagreements" about the way forward for shared care but he was "committed" to resolving them.

Many people who responded to the review were in favour of GPs and psychiatrists sharing care of ADHD patients

Dr Byrony Perchard from the PCB said a shared care arrangement was agreed at the end of 2023 but that was "unfortunately the easy part".

She said shared care with GPs would have a financial impact on ADHD patients and on the government's health insurance fund covering the cost of prescriptions.

Dr Perchard added not many GPs in Jersey would feel comfortable prescribing the medication because they were controlled and had side effects that required monitoring.

"It's also worth noting that UK colleagues have mostly withdrawn their support for ADHD shared care arrangements because of these complexities," she said.

Deputy Louise Doublet is head of the scrutiny panel leading the ADHD medicine review

Deputy Louise Doublet, head of the health scrutiny panel, said the minister's decision not to close the waiting list would bring some hope to adults who suspect they have ADHD.

"What I would like to see is continued urgency from the minister to address that very large waiting list," she said.

The deadline for people to respond to the review has been extended to Monday 16 September.