UPDATES 

1.  Our next meetings  will be from 7pm to 9pm on the following dates:  Friday, 9th December 2011; 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 my 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 and therefore for the time being while the clinic is still accepting referrals for assessments it is not setting up any new appointments.

In the meantime, if anyone has been affected by this and/or has been left waiting indefinitely for an appointment please ring the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officers for NHS Bristol at 0117 900 3433. The PALs Officers are aware of this situation and are working to get it resolved so they want to hear from anyone who has been affected by it.

You can also contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Officers for AWP at 01249 468 261.

Remember under the NHS Constitution you have the right to access the services that you need.

5.  AADD-UK has a new interactive website here with lots of information and more is being added.  So please check it out, and give your feedback, comments, and suggestions.

7. 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):

2gether NHS Foundation Trust Patient and Liaison Service 0800 015 1548

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS) 01225 762723

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. 

HOW TO GET A REFERRAL TO THE BRISTOL ADULT ADHD CLINIC

1. 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. 

Note:

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 Bristol GPs 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.  So if you live outside Bristol, 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. Here are the referral 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

 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.  For more information click here.

2.  Bristol residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at 0117 900 3433 or pals@bristol.nhs.uk.  For more information, click here.

3. North Somerset residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at 01275 546755 or 0800 923 2222 or pals@nsomerset-pct.nhs.uk.  For more information, click here.

4. South Gloucestershire residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at 0800 073 0907 or pals@sglos-pct.nhs.uk.  For more information, click here.

5. Wiltshire residents: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at 0800 389 7671 or pals@wiltshire.nhs.uk.  For more information click here.

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 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.

LINKS TO OTHER ADHD SUPPORT GROUPS

1.  Check out the national site for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder UK

2.  If you are in Dorset, check out the Dorset ADHD Support Group

3.  If you are in Hertfordshire have a look at the site of the ADD-vance ADHD & ASC Support Network.

4.  If you are in or near central London, have a look at the site of the London Adult ADHD Support Group.

5.  If you are in or near West London, have a look at the site of the West London ADHD Support Group

6.  If you are in Manchester have a look at this site

7.  If you are in Yorkshire have a look at ADDept Yorkshire Learning & Ability Support Group

8.  If you are in Scotland, check out the The Scottish Adult ADHD Support Group

9. The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service, ADDISS.    

10.  If you are in Hampshire or Southampton, check out the Southampton-ADHD-Support-Group.

11.  If you are in South Wales, there is an ADHD Family Support Group in Newport.  Here is a link to their Facebook page.

GADGETS

1.  Our thanks go to a support group member for letting us know about this key finder gadget.

2.  Here is a link to a handy tool for those of us, like me, who are Internet junkies.  It's called LeechBlock (as in time leech), and my thanks go to a group member for telling me about this tool.

3.  During the meeting on 1 December 2008, we learnt from our speaker about software called Inspiration that can help us develop our ideas, organise and prioritise concepts and information, as well as help with drafting essays, reports and presentations.  More information about this useful tool can be found here.  And thanks go to a group member who found a similar tool available for free from here.

OTHER RESOURCES

1. There is an article about adult ADHD in Bristol's Evening Post (published 6 November 2009)

2.  ADHD is now recognised as a Specific Learning Difficulty so university students may be eligible for the Disabled Students' Allowance.  More information can be found here.

3.  A group member came across a description of ADHD called "A Day in My Life"

4.  AADD-UK has published an extensive list of books about ADHD on their website.  For more information click here.

5.  If you suffer from Social Anxiety here is a link to the West of England Social Anxiety Support Group

6.  The National Autistic Society Brunel Resource Centre provides provides a range of activities and life skills training for adults with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome over the age of 18.  More information can be found here.

7. The National Association for Children Of Alcoholics, NACOA, was founded in 1990 to help children of all ages (including adults) of alcohol dependent parents.  More information can be found here.

8. Bill Goodyear: The Aspergers Coach 

9. Driving Instructor: If you live in North Somerset, and are having trouble passing your driving test, or simply need a very patient and reliable driving instructor, I can recommend Rob Milne.  His phone number is 01275 341 074.  He does cover only North Somerset, unfortunately, but as I hear of other driving instructors in other areas I will add them to this website.  Also, if you can recommend from experience other driving instructors please feel free to send me an email with their details.

10. Carers Direct: Free and confidential information, advice, and support for carers provided by NHS Direct.

11. A copy of the Powerpoint presentation that I gave to the UKAAN & European Netork Congress on 23rd September 2011 can be found here.

1.  And here is a link to the website of local Bristol artist Jason Lane.

2.  Here is a link to BCfm Community Radio for Bristol.

3.  Here is a listing of events in Bristol.

4.  Bristol Festival of Ideas.

5.  Public Lectures at the University of Bristol

6.  Bristol Folk House at 40A Park Street, Bristol