New Members Welcome!

NEWS:

1. Our next meetings will be from 7pm to 9pm on the following dates:  Friday, 13th January 2012; Friday, 10th February 2012; Friday, 9th March 2012; Friday, 13th April 2012; Friday, 11th May 2012; Friday, 8th June 2012; Friday, 13th July 2012; Friday, 10th August 2012; Friday, 14th September 2012; Friday, 12th October 2012; Friday, 9th November 2012; and Friday, 8th December 2012.

2. Our meeting location has changed. We are no longer meeting at the Pierian Centre which has closed, instead our meetings will be held in the large meeting room at Bristol Mind. Bristol Mind is in the centre of Bristol at 35 Old Market Street, Bristol, BS2 0EZ. More information about Bristol Mind can be found here.

3. It has come to our attention that NHS Bristol Primary Care Trust and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) are locked in a funding dispute which is impacting the ADHD Clinic.

It seems the funding dispute has meant that some things have had to be put on hold so although the clinic is still accepting referrals for assessments it is not setting up any new appointments.

Would everyone living in Bristol who has been affected please ring the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officers for NHS Bristol at 0117 900 3433. The PALs Officers are aware of the funding dispute and want to hear from anyone living in Bristol who has been impacted by it so that they can better work to get it resolved.

4. For those of you who  live in Gloucestershire and are trying to get referrals to the Gloucestershire Adult ADHD Service (GLAADS) but have been  told that it is closed for new referrals, I have spoken with the business manager at 2gether NHS Foundation Trust who has  responsibility for this clinic and have learnt that the best way to keep the GLAADS clinic open and accepting referral is to file an official NHS complaint.  You can do this by  contacting either or both of the following organisations (tell them you want to file an official complaint about not being able to get a referral to the GLAADS clinic):

1. 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) 0800 015 1548

2. Independent Complaints & Advocacy Service (ICAS) 01225 762723

MEETING INFORMATION

We meet on the second Friday of the month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bristol Mind. Our meetings are friendly and loosely structured. We exchange information, talk about issues related to adult ADHD, and have a good time. All meetings are confidential, and no judgements are made. For more details you can email me at bristoladhdadults@googlemail.com

Bristol Mind is located in the centre of Bristol at 35 Old Market Street, Bristol, BS2 0EZ, and directions can be found here.

There is no fee for the support group. It is free and you do not need to reserve a place.

Adults with or without a diagnosis, as well as spouses, partners, and friends are welcome.

If you need further information email me at bristoladhdadults@googlemail.com

Our meetings are friendly and loosely structured. We exchange information, talk about issues related to adult ADHD, and have a good time. All meetings are confidential, and no judgements are made.

If you would like to be added to the support group email list and receive monthly reminder and the occasional news update, you can email me at bristoladhdadults@googlemail.com

Adults with or without a diagnosis, as well as spouses, partners, and friends are welcome.

BRISTOL FAQ’s

1. HOW DO I GET A REFERRAL TO THE BRISTOL ADULT ADHD CLINIC?

If you are over 18 and need an assesment or treatment for ADHD, you should ask your GP to refer you to the Bristol Adult ADHD Clinic.

The Bristol Adult ADHD clinic is currently funded by the Bristol Primary Care Trust (Bristol PCT) to accept referrals made from within the area covered by the Bristol PCT, so if you live within Bristol, your GP can refer you directly to the clinic.

If you live outside the Bristol area, however, you can still ask your GP to refer you to the clinic, because the clinic accepts outside referrals, but your GP will need to send a letter requesting a referral for you to the Commissioning Manager of the appropriate Primary Care Trust (your GP will know who the commissioning manager is, and will know who to send the referral request to). You can tell your GP, that the clinic accepts referrals from NHS trusts, other than the Bristol PCT, on a cost-per-case basis.

2. WHAT ARE THE CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE BRISTOL ADULT ADHD CLINIC?

Adult ADHD Clinic, Woodside Unit, Callington Road Hospital, Marmalade Lane, Brislington BS4 5BJ Telephone: 0117 919 5706

3. WHAT CAN I DO IF MY GP WON’T REFER ME TO THE CLINIC?

If you are having difficulty getting a referral to the clinic for assessment for potential ADHD, or your request for a referral has been turned down, you can contact the following people for help:

1 Bath & North East Somerset residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at 01225 831717 or pals@banes-pct.nhs.uk.

2. Bristol residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service at 0117 900 3433 or pals@bristol.nhs.uk.

3. North Somerset residents: Patient Advice & Liaison Service at 01275 5467555 or pals@nsomerset-pct.nhs.uk.

4. South Gloucestershire residents: Patient Advice & Liaison Service at 0800 073 0907 or pals@sglos-pct.nhs.uk.

5. Wiltshire residents: Patient Advice & Liaison Service at 0800 389 7671 or pals@wiltshire.nhs.uk.

6. Residents of all areas can also ring the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) for free, confidential, and independent help with filing a complaint about lack of access for assessments and/or treatment for ADHD on either 0845 120 3782 or or 01249 468 261.

A copy of the ICAS leaflet can be found here. ICAS provides an excellent service and is well aware of the issues and difficulties that adults with ADHD may encounter.

CRISIS HELP

If you are in a crisis situation of any kind please see AADD-UK’s list of Crisis Helpline Numbers available in ”Living with ADHD.”

Bristol Community Groups

1.  BRAVE Enterprise: helping entrepreneurs to start & run businesses in Bristol.

2. Bristol Drugs Project: providing free & confidential help with drug & alcohol problems.

Other things to see, hear, & do in Bristol 

1.  Simply Sorted: Decluttering Help

2. St Paul’s Carnival on Saturday, 2nd July 2011.

3. Bristol Community Radio.

4. Bristol 24-7 What’s On

5. Bristol Open Doors on Saturday, 10th September 2011.

6. Avon Valley Railway.

7. Windmill Hill City Farm.

8. Venue: Bristol & Bath’s website. 

9. Bristol University: The Access Unit works with students on an individual basis to ensure that they have equal access to their course and to University life

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