Access Mental Health support?

Access support for my mental health?

• You can contact Open Door for urgent mental health matters.
• You can raise a query via PATCHS or reception can do this on your behalf – mental health issues may be dealt with by our GPs.
• We also have some appointments available with our Mental Health Practitioner – please note some of their appointments may be over the telephone

Access to Open Door

Raise a query via PATCHS

Get a referral for counselling / psychological therapy?

Patients can self-refer for counselling to Stockport Healthy Minds.

Self refer to Stockport Healthy Minds

ADHD and ASD ‘Right to Choose’ Referrals 

If you are concerned that you may have symptoms suggestive of ADHD or Autism please submit your clinical query via our Patchs system with as much detail as possible.

Currently the local Adult NHS Service is unable to accept referrals due to the long waiting lists they hold, but you can be referred via the Right to Choose Pathway. If your GP considers a referral to be appropriate, your GP will send it directly to your nominated service at your request. If you have any queries about the appointment, please contact the provider directly.

Please be aware that whilst these services are offered via the NHS they are often private companies who are contracted to deliver services to the NHS.  It is important to be aware of the following when choosing a Right to Choose Service:

Choice

Your GP cannot choose for you. You need to research the options and make the choice yourself, then contact your GP to inform them of your chosen provider and they will advise you on how to proceed. This list of providers is constantly changing, and the services’ websites are usually a good place to find out if they offer the service you need. Several services are available by searching on ‘Right to choose ASD’, ‘Right to choose ADHD’ and on sites such as ADHD UK

The number of Right to Choose services is growing and changing all the time and each service may have its own referral process. It can be difficult for your GP to complete multiple, and often lengthy referral processes. Most providers need a core set of information, so we will ask you to complete a referral questionnaire and a description of your symptoms and impact it has on you. If the service needs additional information, they can request it from the practice or by asking you directly.

It is our Practice Policy to only refer to one service per condition at a time. i.e. we will not send multiple referrals to different services for the same problem.

Shared Care

Some ADHD/ASD clinics may ask your GP to perform tests like blood tests, ECGs (heart tracings), or weight and height measurements and provide ongoing prescriptions for the medication they have commenced. However, these tests and prescriptions are the responsibility of the service and should be arranged by them to support their own assessment. In keeping with most GP practices, our policy is to advise the service to carry out any necessary tests they require themselves.

Please be aware that some Right to Choose service can offer diagnosis and recommend medication but are unable to prescribe it and this would not be a medication that can be initiated or continued by your GP.  Most medications suggested for these conditions are ones that GPs do not prescribe without the support of a specialist clinic. In this circumstance you would need referral to another, likely to a local NHS service to provide this.

In line with most GP services our policy is not to enter into shared care agreements with any provider EXCEPT the local NHS services and, at our discretion, ‘Psychiatry UK’ Adult services. This because it is not safe for us to prescribe these medications for different patients, shared with so many different providers, each with their own different processes and policies, and the requirement for ongoing review and monitoring of both your condition and medication with the specialist clinic.

 It is also possible that as many Right to Choose service are private businesses they potentially can suddenly cease to operate which is another reason we consider it unsafe to prescribe on their behalf.

24 June 2025

Information correct at time of publication