To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps being taken to support GP practices to safely participate in shared care arrangements for ADHD, without liability concerns.

Shared care arrangements for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication are typically dependent on the involvement of a specialist service responsible for diagnosis, treatment initiation, dose titration and ongoing clinical oversight. Regional shared care arrangements are ordinarily underpinned by specialist HSC services responsible for treatment initiation, monitoring and ongoing clinical review.

As there is currently no commissioned adult ADHD service in Northern Ireland, there is no HSC specialist provider available to undertake the initiation, stabilisation and ongoing oversight functions that would ordinarily underpin a regional shared care pathway for adult ADHD medications. Consequently, there is no regional HSC shared care pathway for adult ADHD medications.

The legacy Health and Social Care Board issued correspondence on a number of occasions to private providers and general practice, most recently in June 2021, regarding requests for HSC prescriptions following private consultations. The purpose of this correspondence was to remind both sectors of their clinical responsibilities in relation to prescribing medications to patients under their care. This guidance remains applicable and has been supplemented by guidance issued by the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) in September 2024, Private (non-HSC) Prescribing Requests Guidance for Primary Care Prescribers.

This guidance reminds prescribers that the legal responsibility for prescribing rests with the clinician who signs the prescription and that individual prescribers should prescribe only within their own level of competence and scope of practice.

The decision to enter into a shared care arrangement, or otherwise, is therefore a clinical decision for the individual GP and must be based on their professional judgement and assessment of the individual clinical circumstances.

Liability issues are a matter for individual clinicians' professional practice and must be considered within the context of relevant professional standards, clinical judgement and indemnity arrangements. However, my Department recognises any concerns expressed by GPs regarding ADHD shared care. I am committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that any future shared care models are supported by appropriate clinical protocols and governance arrangements.

My Department published the ADHD Needs Assessment in February 2026, which considered current provision, future demand and service requirements for both children and adults with ADHD. The issue of shared care arrangements was also considered as part of this work, albeit it is recognised that this issue is wider than ADHD and applies across a range of clinical specialities and medicines requiring specialist oversight. The findings continue to inform consideration of future ADHD service arrangements, subject to available funding and wider HSC priorities.