Referral pathway details

Currently, where needed, we direct families to the existing services and processes for assessment and diagnosis in Cheshire East.

There are a number of different referral pathways, depending on whether your GP is within the Eastern Cheshire (Macclesfield) or Mid-Cheshire (Leighton) area and the age of the person being referred. If you’re not sure which catchment area your GP is in, you can find out here.

To find out which organisation you or your child would need to be referred to use the flow diagrams below and click through to the relevant organisation:

Links to the referral pathways for each provider are below:

• East Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Information on Right to Choose

 

Cheshire and Merseyside Neurodevelopmental Profiling Tool

Recognising that the current arrangements for seeking support can be complex, we’re excited to share that in the coming year we will be introducing a new, needs-based Neurodevelopmental Profiling Tool. This tool will help us better understand and support your child or young person’s individual needs without the immediate pressure of formal diagnosis. 

This change is part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Neurodevelopmental Model, which is currently being co-produced and tested with children, young people and families. The neurodevelopmental model focuses on a needs-based approach and emphasises a holistic understanding of the child or young person’s strengths and challenges. Rather than framing the entire support process around formal assessment and diagnosis, it uses categories that help guide decision-making and interventions in a way that feels less ‘diagnostic’ and more focused on supporting the individual.

If you want more information about the timeframes and details for implementing the tool in Cheshire East you can email enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk. In the meantime, a similar profiling tool used in Portsmouth and details of this can be found here.

 

A new Adult Primary Care ADHD Service is being rolled out across Cheshire and Merseyside

The new approach has been co-designed with a variety of professionals and service users from across the Northwest, taking learning from the ‘LEAP’ project – ‘Leading Excellence in ADHD in Primary Care’, which has been running in the Wirral since 2019 and Liverpool for a year.

This innovative, needs-led model is designed to provide additional investment and capacity in Primary Care to improve access to ADHD support for adults and ensure timely and appropriate follow-up in a community setting.

This marks a significant step forward in delivering more integrated, person-centred care for individuals with ADHD.

The Local Enhanced Service will be delivered by GPs with additional ADHD training and through the introduction of a new role; Neurodiversity Practitioners who will be clinicians with a mental health/psychology/nursing background who will have undertaken additional training in ADHD.

This new ADHD pathway enables NHS Providers in Cheshire and Merseyside to focus on our most complex cases and ensures these patients are seen more promptly. At the same time, it empowers Primary Care to manage stable patients and conduct early assessments, fostering a more efficient and responsive system.

Escalation to secondary ADHD services will remain available when clinically indication.

Implementation in Cheshire East will begin in January 2026.