Current waiting times

Referrals

We continue to receive a very high number of referrals for Autism and ADHD assessments. Your child's referral may take longer than usual to be reviewed by a clinician and for us to share the outcome with you and the referrer. We are working hard to keep you updated as quickly as possible. You can check your Dashboard on MyCareBridge for the latest updates on your referral status.

Waiting times for assessment

There is a long wait for Autism and ADHD assessments because many children are being referred. On average, assessments take between 18 and 24 months to complete, but it could take longer. We are working hard to reduce waiting times. We will contact you as soon as an appointment is available. 

Information about ADHD medication shortages

Some ADHD medications have not been available. Please see the updated advice here. https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/news-events/national-supply-shortage-of-medicines-for-adhd-update-june-2024-10049

If you have any concerns contact your GP.

How to refer

My Care Bridge is an easy to use and secure online portal and has been developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals, education professionals, and families and carers. It is available for children and young people who are aged up to 18 years old and are registered with a GP in mid and south Essex. This includes Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock.

It is for new referrals only – current referrals will continue to follow existing administrative pathways.

Educational settings (including nurseries, schools, and colleges), GPs, health visitors, and other healthcare professionals can use the portal to make and track referrals.

Parents and carers will be sent a login when a referral has been made. They will be able to login to the portal to provide information for their child’s referral, track the referral and access a library of support available locally.

My Care Bridge been developed by the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative, a partnership between Essex Partnership University Trust, North East London Foundation Trust and Provide Community.

How to access My Care Bridge

GPs, health visitors and other health professionals, visit the referral link for your local area:

Provide Community (Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon): My Care Bridge portal
NELFT (Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock): My Care Bridge portal
EPUT (Castle Point & Rochford and Southend): My Care Bridge portal

Educational settings

Please email the children and young people’s team in your area to be added to the portal:

NELFT (Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock): childrensautismADHDassessment@nelft.nhs.uk 
Provide Community (Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon): provide.cccpaediatrics@nhs.net 
EPUT (Castle Point & Rochford and Southend): epunft.Lighthouse.ASD@nhs.net or epunft.Lighthouse.ADHD@nhs.net 

Parents and carers

At present, we cannot accept referrals made by parents, carers, family members or young people themselves.

If you feel the child/ young person requires and Autism or ADHD assessment, we would encourage discussion with their education setting or GP about making a referral through MyCareBridge.

You will be emailed with access information when your referral is made by a GP, health visitor, or educational setting.

If you are having issues accessing the portal, please contact the service:

NELFT (Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock): childrensautismADHDassessment@nelft.nhs.uk 
Provide Community (Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon): provide.cccpaediatrics@nhs.net 
EPUT (Castle Point & Rochford and Southend): epunft.Lighthouse.ASD@nhs.net or epunft.Lighthouse.ADHD@nhs.net 

My Care Bridge FAQs

Which areas are covered by the portal?

The portal is for children who are registered with a GP in mid and south Essex. This includes Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock.

Which ages is the portal for?

The portal is for children and young people aged up to 18 years old.

Who can make a referral?

Educational settings, health visitors, GPs, and other healthcare professionals including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and audiologists can make a referral. If you are a healthcare professional and unsure if you can make a referral, please contact your local service. 

Which educational settings can use the portal?

Nurseries, schools, and colleges can use the portal.

Will the portal tell me how long the referral will take? 

The portal cannot tell you how long the referral will take, however it will allow you track your referral in the system so you can see if here are any delays.

Can I still refer to SystmOne? 

Yes, GPs and health visitors can still use SystmOne to refer, however we recommend using the portal as it allows families to track their referral and access information about local support.

I’m having issues accessing or using the portal – who should I contact? 

Please contact the relevant children’s service:

How do I get a login to the portal?

GPs, health visitors and other health professionals, visit the referral link for your local area:

Educational settings: https://education-setting.mycarebridge.co.uk 
Parents and carers: You will be emailed with access information when your referral is made by a GP, health visitor, or educational setting.  

What is the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative?

The Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative is a partnership between Provide Community, NELFT and EPUT.

How is data kept secure? 

Data is held securely on encrypted servers, with the relevant access control systems in place, following the Data Protection Act 2018 principles.

Who do I contact about the content in the local support and resources section? 

Please contact the relevant children’s service:

What about adult referrals for autism and ADHD services? 

People aged over 18 should contact their GP to discuss a referral to adult autism/ ADHD services in mid and south Essex. GPs should continue to follow current pathways for referring people aged over 18.

Which healthcare professionals can make referrals?

GPs, HVs, and other child health professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and audiologists working in children’s services. If you are a healthcare professional and unsure if you can make a referral, please contact the relevant service in your area. 

Can GPs/ health visitors/ other healthcare professionals track referrals? 

GPs will receive automated email updates as the child’s referral progresses through the system.

What are your current waiting times?

We continue to receive a very high number of referrals for Autism and ADHD assessments. As a result of this it may take longer than usual for the referral to have a clinical review by one of our clinicians and an outcome of the referral shared with referrers and parents – we are working hard to ensure that outcomes are communicated  in a timely manner. 

There are currently also long waits for neurodevelopmental assessments – such as Autism and ADHD, due to the number of children being referred for this service. Each child’s assessment can require different activities to be carried out therefore waiting times can vary from patient to patient.  Our current average wait for completion of assessment is between 18 and 24 months. We are working very hard to reduce our waiting times as much as we possibly can.