health

Healthier Together wants to hear from people who have taken part in Adult ADHD peer support in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire

What is Healthier Together?

Healthier Together is the name given to our Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (ICS). It is made up of ten partner organisations including the 3 local authorities, 3 NHS Trusts, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), community and GP providers.

What are we doing?

We have a project underway to improve support for people with ADHD pre and post assessment. This includes improving the way peer support is offered and delivered.  ADHD peer support groups are places where people with ADHD can talk, share ideas and help each other. We would like to know what people think about these groups.

How can you help?

We want to hear from people who have taken part in ADHD peer support in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to understand their experience and to see where there may be opportunities for our local health and care system to support them better.

What it will involve

We can arrange an informal conversation either individually or as part of a small group. Alternatively, you can provide your feedback via a survey in your own time, whichever you feel most comfortable with.

The questions we will ask are:

1. Why is peer support important to you?
2. What do you most want from peer support?
3. What do you like about the peer support you access now?
4. What could be improved from peer support available now?
5. Do have any issues for which you need a deeper level of understanding and help than peer support can provide? For example: shame/guilt, self-criticism, low self-esteem, masking, rejection sensitivity; or anything else that not only makes it difficult for you to develop and maintain strategies and techniques for managing your ADHD symptoms but also makes it difficult to recognise and utilise your own strengths and abilities.
6. Any other comments?

How long it will last and where it will take place.

We will arrange to speak to you on a convenient day and time.

• One-to-one conversations can take place using Zoom, Microsoft Teams or on the telephone, whichever is easiest for you and will last for up to 30 minutes.
• Group discussions will take place using Zoom and will last for up to one hour.  

If you would prefer to provide your feedback via a survey – a link to an online self-completion survey will be sent to you to complete in your own time.

How the information you provide will be used

The information you provide will be confidential and held in line with the BNSSG ICB privacy policy – https://bnssg.icb.nhs.uk/about-us/how-we-use-your-information. It will be used only for the purpose of contacting you to arrange discussions or to send you the link to the survey.

Whether or not you want take part in this “conversation” to inform our understanding of how well the peer support is working is completely up to you. Your decision to take part or not will have no impact at all on the support you are receiving.

What happens next?

If you are happy to help, please click this link to provide your contact details and tell us how you would like to provide your feedback.

• For those wishing to take part in a one-to-one or group discussion – we will email you to arrange a convenient time to speak to you.
• For those who would like to provide their feedback via a survey – we will email you a link to an online survey to complete in your own time.

Do you want to help improve NHS Adult ADHD Services in Bristol, North Somerset, & South Gloucestershire?

The Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (BNSSG ICS) is working with Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and Bristol Adults ADHD Support Group to improve the provision of ADHD services and assessment pathway. This involves how Primary Care can be more involved with managing ADHD patients.

We are looking for members of the public who have received an ADHD diagnosis, either through a Right to Choose Provider or paid for a private assessment themselves, to join our ADHD Service User Group. This group will contribute to the development and provide valuable insight into the proposed improvements for the ADHD pathway and future model.

A six-month membership of the Service User Group will involve attending meetings that are:

• monthly
• one hour long
• held virtually on MS Teams
• attended by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP)
  professionals and other service users with a diagnosis who were assessed
  through AWP’s ADHD service

The roles attract a recognition fee of £18 per hour.

To express your interest, write a short statement (up to 250 words) telling them what particular experience you can bring to the project.

The full roll description and contact details are here on BNSSG’s Healthier Together site.