In this section...

  1. Adult community services
  2. Carers corner
  3. Children's services
  4. Community mental health services
  5. Community response to COVID-19
  6. Dementia and older people’s mental health
  7. Health for Homeless Service
  8. Hospital at Home
  9. Learning disability services
  10. Medication
  11. Mental health crisis
  12. Personalised care planning
  13. SilverCloud
  14. Physiotherapy
  15. Spiritual and pastoral care
  16. Suicide Liaison Service
  17. Talking Therapies
  18. Transforming wound care
  19. Tuberculosis Service
  20. Useful information following a bereavement
  21. Wheelchair Service
  22. Video appointments
  23. Workplace flu vaccination clinics

Contact us

For children, young people and families open to the service, or professionals, email the CAMHS ADHD Duty Team.

As a specialist service, we operate a voicemail service rather than a live telephone line. We review and respond to enquiries on a weekly basis. Call us on 01726 873 260. Include the child or young person's name, date of birth and a contact number in your message.

For urgent concerns regarding mental health, risk or safety, contact your GP, NHS 111, or an appropriate emergency service.

Our service operates out of the CAMHS bases located across Cornwall.

  • East: Caradon (Liskeard).
  • Mid: Carrick (Truro) and Restormel (St Austell).
  • North east (Launceston).
  • West: Penwith (Penzance) and Kerrier (Pool).

CAMHS ADHD Service

We support children and young people aged 5 to 18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

We are a specialist service that provides both ADHD-focused support and medication treatment. We work with children, young people and families to help them understand ADHD, develop practical strategies and consider the most appropriate treatment options.

Our children's wellbeing practitioners offer psychoeducation programmes, one-to-one support and the New Forest Parenting Programme. In line with NICE guidance, families are expected to complete the programme before medication treatment is considered. This helps to ensure parents and carers are equipped with evidence-based strategies to support their child's needs.

Where appropriate, we provide assessment, initiation and ongoing monitoring of ADHD medication. Treatment plans are developed collaboratively with children, young people and their families. This is to ensure they meet individual needs and circumstances.

We are a multi-disciplinary team comprising:

  • children's wellbeing practitioners
  • specialist nurses
  • non-medical prescribers
  • advanced practitioners
  • administrative staff

We work closely with colleagues across CAMHS and neurodevelopmental assessment services to provide coordinated and joined-up care.

Referrals are received from the CAMHS and neurodevelopmental assessment teams following a confirmed ADHD diagnosis. We also accept referrals for children and young people diagnosed by alternative providers. This is subject to review of the diagnostic information and supporting clinical evidence.

Suspected neurodiversity

To access the most personalised and timely support for a child or young person with suspected neurodiversity, someone who knows them well needs to complete the neurodiversity profiling tool with them and their family first.

The profiling tool can help to pinpoint specific areas of impact and identify ways to support them with neurodiverse needs and differences straight away. The actions identified from the profiling need to be completed, and strategies and reasonable adjustments trialled for a sustained period of over 12 weeks.

If you are still struggling with how to support a young person after this, we would invite you to speak to our multi-disciplinary consultation team to access support.

Due to a change in neurodevelopmental pathways in Cornwall in 2024, our service is supporting the old pathway assessment process for a specific cohort children and young people. This is to help move those children and young people through the previous pathway and is not an ongoing part of our service offer.

For more information, visit the Parent Carers Cornwall website. For support, email our Neurodiversity Team.

Resources

Private assessments and diagnoses

We welcome referrals for children and young people who have received an ADHD assessment and diagnosis through an independent or private provider.

To help us consider the referral, we require a copy of the full diagnostic report and any supporting clinical information. This helps our multi-disciplinary team to review the assessment and ensure it meets the standards and diagnostic criteria required for NHS treatment and prescribing.

Once all relevant information has been received, the child or young person will be added to our review pathway for consideration by the team. We may contact families or professionals if additional information is required as part of this process.

Whilst many private assessments meet the required standards, there may be occasions where further evidence, assessment or information is needed before we can accept a diagnosis and offer treatment through our service. In some cases, we may be unable to proceed if the assessment does not meet the quality and diagnostic standards expected within NHS services.

Our aim is to ensure that every child and young person receives safe, evidence-based and high-quality care.

Mental health support and ADHD

We provide ADHD-focused interventions, psychoeducation and medication support for children and young people with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD.

If a child or young person is experiencing significant mental health difficulties alongside ADHD, such as anxiety, depression, emotional distress, self-harm or increased risk concerns, additional support from the most appropriate mental health service may be required.

Whilst we work closely with other services, we are unable to provide specialist mental health intervention or ongoing risk management for needs that fall outside of our ADHD service offer.

We encourage families and professionals to access the right support as early as possible. Depending on the child or young person's needs, these may include:

If you are concerned about your child's mental health and feel they may require more specialist support, you can seek advice, guidance or make a referral to the CAMHS Access Team. Read information about CAMHS referrals and available support.

Our aim is to work collaboratively with families and partner agencies to ensure children and young people receive the right support, from the right service, at the right time.

Waiting times

We understand that waiting for support can be challenging for children, young people and families, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Alongside our current service delivery, we continue to support a group of children and young people who entered a previous assessment pathway. This work remains ongoing, and we are currently unable to provide individual waiting time estimates.

Demand for ADHD services remains high. As a result, we are unable to provide estimated waiting times for medication treatment.

While you are waiting, we encourage you to access the support, advice and resources available through our service and partner organisations. We will contact you as soon as an appointment becomes available or there is an important update regarding your child's care.

Information for professionals

If you are working with a child or young person and need advice or to inform us of a risk or concern, email our CAMHS ADHD Duty Team.

Helpful information for families

Appointments

We understand that life can sometimes make it difficult to attend appointments. If this happens, contact us to rearrange.

Where appointments are repeatedly missed, we may review the child's care to ensure their wellbeing, safety and support needs are being appropriately met.

Education and school support

We can provide information about how ADHD may affect a child or young person and their experience within education.

Decisions regarding school attendance, attendance support plans and educational provision remain the responsibility of the school or college. We encourage families to discuss concerns with their child's educational setting and special educational needs coordinator.

Support and resources

While waiting for appointments or treatment, there are a range of resources available to support children, young people and families, providing practical advice and strategies.

Video appointments

Many of our appointments can be offered by video using Attend Anywhere, enabling children, young people and families to access support from home or another suitable private location.

Before your appointment, ensure you have access to a device with a camera and microphone and a stable internet connection.

Your clinician will let you know if a video appointment is suitable and provide any information you need to join.

Join your appointment by video (opens in new window)

Virtual tours of CAMHS bases across Cornwall

Bolitho House, Penwith CAMHS

The Hive, Kerrier CAMHS

Shaw House, Restormel CAMHS

Truro Health Park, Carrick CAMHS

Launceston, north CAMHS

Heathlands, Caradon CAMHS

Service feedback

We value feedback from children, young people, families and professionals, as it helps us understand what we are doing well and where we can improve.

The NHS Friends and Family Test provides an opportunity to share your experience of our service and tell us how we are doing.

If there is anything you are concerned about, or if your experience has not met your expectations, we encourage you to speak with a member of the team in the first instance. We will always do our best to listen, understand your concerns and work with you to resolve any issues.

If you feel that your concerns have not been addressed, contact our Patient Advice and Complaints Team for further support.