No, you only need to come along with the young person. We ask that children under 16 do not attend on their own. Parental history of the young person is an important part of the initial assessment and often we ask questions about which the young person would not know the answer eg what age they reached key milestones. Please make us aware of any potentially relevant reports from other professionals at the time of booking the initial assessment.

Typically an initial assessment lasts around 2 hours.

Dr Westgarth asks about the problem, the background, family history and wider development. It is usually helpful for him to spend some time talking alone with the young person, depending on their age and confidence. At the end of the interview he feeds back his understanding of the situation, and if possible will name any diagnosis, propose next steps and treatment options.

It is difficult for us to make a proper assessment of the young person if they are not able to attend. Ideally we would prefer they attend in person. Sometimes distress and mental health problems themselves stop a child from attending. If so Dr Westgarth will always be as flexible as possible in the assessment with the aim of helping as much as possible.

No, our initial assessment appointments are face to face, but we recognise that mental illness may require flexibility in care.

We always prefer, where possible, to see people face to face but understand that sometimes it’s not possible. On these occasions we offer a telephone or video conference appointment.

Please make us aware as soon as possible if you would like to cancel your appointment by call 07733 274522 or email admin@childpsychiatryuk.com. We have a cancellation policy which all new patients must agree to before accepting an appointment. Please allow at least 48 hours notice to cancel appointments otherwise a charge of 50% of the hourly fee will be charged.

If you would like us to continue to prescribe medication for you, then we need to see you for regular reviews and follow up appointments. There are many health care guidelines and regulations supporting quality care, and usually regular follow up appointments are part of that mechanism. At the age of 18 your GP may agree to take this over, but a formal handover needs to be agreed.

ADHD is a complex and difficult diagnosis to establish. Many problems can cause ADHD-like symptoms. A comprehensive initial appointment with a child and adolescent psychiatrist is necessary prior to the more narrow ADHD assessment. This is to make sure we are thorough and no other issues are missed.