{"value":{"id":1746917,"askingMemberId":4638,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2024-12-04T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2024-12-09T00:00:00","uin":"17863","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) consistency of care and (b) availability of medication for people with an ADHD diagnosis who move to a different NHS Trust from the one in which they received their diagnosis.","answeringBodyId":17,"answeringBodyName":"Department of Health and Social Care","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":true,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4444,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2024-12-09T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>Prescribers should follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management, when prescribing medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These guidelines are available at the following link:</p><p><a href=\"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87</a></p><p>Additional information on shared care can be found in the General Medical Council (GMC) best practice guidance, which is available at the following link:</p><p><a href=\"https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices/shared-care\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices/shared-care</a></p><p>The Department has also been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve the supply issues with some ADHD medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved, and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.</p><p>We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We expect supply to improve in the United Kingdom throughout December 2024 and January 2025. However, we anticipate supply to be limited for some strengths, and we continue to work with all suppliers to ensure the remaining issues are resolved as soon as possible.</p><p>To minimise the impact of the shortages on patients, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the NHS, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative ADHD medicines. To support ADHD patients throughout the NHS, we would expect all ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinions for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.</p><p>To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further, we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients. The SPS website also offers additional guidance from NHS England specialists to help systems and healthcare professionals manage ADHD supply disruptions.</p><p>To improve supply chain resiliency, we are also working with prospective new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to expand the UK supplier base.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"ADHD: Mental Health Services","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1746917","method":"GET"}]}