Private assessments and prescriptions

Private assessments 

Sometimes families choose to have an assessment privately to avoid waiting. We have outlined below how CAMHS uses this information. 

• If a young person has a private assessment and is then referred to CAMHS, CAMHS will look at the report when the young person reaches the top of the waiting list. Having a private report does not move anyone up the list or make the wait shorter.  
• When CAMHS looks at a private report, a clinician will also meet with the young person. They will update the information and check what is happening now. Sometimes what we find might be different from the private report, and that’s okay. We will always explain what we think and what will happen next.

Can you recommend private providers? 

We are unable to recommend private providers for assessments, treatment and  medication. However, if you choose to do this, we advise checking that they follow NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines and that they have the correct professional registration to offer you the support you are asking for. 

Prescriptions and Private Prescribers 

If a private doctor starts a young person on medication, that doctor is the one who is responsible for the prescription. They must make sure the assessment was safe and followed the right guidelines. CAMHS cannot automatically take over that prescription. We must first do our own assessment to check if the medicine is right and safe.  

This is to keep the young person safe and to make sure we understand their needs fully. If we agree that the medicine is needed, we will explain the plan clearly. If not, we will talk together about other options.