Mid Cheshire neurodevelopmental pathway

Where your GP surgery is in the Mid Cheshire catchment area
Doctor's surgeries Hospital catchment
Wrenbury surgery Leighton
Audlem Leighton
Kiltearn Leighton
Nantwich Health Centre Leighton
Tudor Surgery Leighton
Rope Green Leighton
Grosvenor Surgery Leighton
Hungerford Road Surgery Leighton
Millcroft Medical Centre Leighton
Earnswood Surgery Leighton
Ashfields Primary care centre Leighton
Mere Park Leighton
Cedars Medical Centre Leighton
Green Moss Surgery Leighton
Haslington Surgery Leighton
Waters Edge Medical Practice Leighton
Oaklands Surgery Leighton
South Park Surgery Macclesfield
Alderley Edge Medical Centre Macclesfield
Chelford Surgery Macclesfield
Handforth Health Centre Macclesfield
Wilmslow Health Centre Macclesfield
David Lewis Medical Practice Macclesfield
Readesmoor Medical Group Practice Macclesfield
Lawton House Surgery Macclesfield
The Health Centre (Holmes Chapel) Macclesfield
Meadowside Medical Centre Macclesfield
Knutsford Partnership Macclesfield
High Street Surgery Macclesfield
South Park Surgery Macclesfield
Cumberland House Surgery Macclesfield
Park Lane Surgery Macclesfield
Park Green Surgery Macclesfield
Broken Cross Surgery Macclesfield
Vernova Healthcare Cic Macclesfield
Middlewood Partnership Macclesfield

Autism assessments age 0-17

ADHD assessments age 6-17

Question Answer
What forms need to be filled out at the initial stages – is there a checklist to ensure everything which is needed for the referral to be accepted is completed?

The referral forms we send out on receipt of a referral request are the same, we send 8 forms in total to provide a holistic assessment.  

The forms cover:

  • Developmental history
  • Behaviour at home and school
  • Communication
  • Sensory needs
  • Parent/carer concerns

It’s important to make sure all 8 forms are returned to avoid any delays in the process.
Where do the forms go? When the forms are returned, the clinical team will review them. If they think further referrals are needed to other support and services such as Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy they will make these referrals. The child or young person will then be invited to their first assessment appointment.  
Who will the child/young person see at each stage of the diagnostic process and where?

First appointment – a specialist nurse, or a consultant paediatrician.

Autism

  • You will see the same clinician throughout
  • If a nurse is your main clinician, they will discuss the assessment with a consultant and other practitioners before sharing the outcomes with you
  • Consultants can diagnose directly but may involve a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to discuss if its particularly complex and unclear.

ADHD

  • If ADHD is suspected, your child may be offered a QbTest to help assess attention and activity levels
  • If medication is recommended the consultant would start this and monitor the response
  • Once stable, a nurse will take over ongoing reviews until age 19
What tests will be done?
  • QbTest for ADHD
  • Questionnaires for autism and ADHD
  • Health checks (e.g. blood or genetics tests) if needed
  • Other assessments depending on individual needs
What reasonable adjustments can be done if my child has, for example, PDA and would struggle to attend a ‘normal’ appointment

We can be flexible based on your child’s needs. Examples include:

  • Appointments at school instead of clinic
  • Support from a clinic assistant to support play or to help with distraction
  • Tailored approach based on your child’s comfort and communication style

If you tell us what works best for your child we will do our best to help.
What is the MDT (sometimes referred to as the ‘panel’) and when are they involved?

MDT stands for Multi-Disciplinary Team – a group of practitioners who meet to discuss assessments and diagnosis.

  • Nurses present new patient cases at the MDT
  • Consultants attend the MDT for complex or unclear cases
What happens at the point of diagnosis and how are people supported (whether or not a diagnosis is made)

Whether your child or young person receives a diagnosis or not, we make sure you have the information and support you need

You will receive

  • A letter with a QR code linking to helpful resources
  • Signposting to charities and community groups
  • Referral to commissioned services such as Koala Sleep Service if needed
  • Access to weekly nurse call slots for questions
  • We also attend drop-in sessions for families to talk to us face-to-face
What’s the difference between Autism and ADHD in this process (at what point would the practitioners decide whether they are looking at an ASC diagnostic, an ADHD diagnostic or both)?
  • If ADHD traits are noticed during an autism referral (where a child is over the age of 6) we may offer a QbTest
  • Our approach looks at the whole picture, not just one diagnosis
  • We often assess for both conditions at the same time to avoid delays

Further information is available on the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust website.