The number of referrals that were received by the Neurodevelopment Service during the calendar month
Referrals should be categorised, of the referrals that were received by the Neurodevelopment Service during the month:
o The number of referrals accepted into the Neurodevelopment Service
o The number of referrals rejected by the Neurodevelopment Service
o The number of referrals which a decision has yet to be made as to whether they will be accepted or rejected
The total number of referrals received during the month should equal the sum of the numbers entered for ‘accepted’, ‘rejected’ and ‘decision yet to be made’.
Number of patients who are waiting to start an ADHD or ASD neurodevelopment assessment
This is the number of patients who are currently waiting to start an ADHD or ASD neurodevelopment assessment as at each census snapshot (i.e. the last calendar day of each month).
Waits should be categorised into the following time bands:
o Patients waiting up to and including 84 days (<= 11 weeks)
o Patients waiting 85 days and over and up to and including 126 days (12-17 weeks)
o Patients waiting 127 days and over and up to and including 182 days (18 - 25 weeks)
o Patients waiting 183 days and over and up to and including 252 days (26 - 35 weeks)
o Patients waiting 253 days and over and up to and including 364 days (36 - 51 weeks)
o Patients waiting 365 days and over (>= 52 weeks)
When calculating wait times, the following guidance applies:
Clock start point is the date which the referral for an ADHD or ASD neurodevelopmental assessment is received by the Neurodevelopmental Service.
Clock stop point is the date of the first face to face or virtual attendance at the appointment of the assessment process (this may be with or without the patient being present e.g. with the parent or guardian only). A virtual attendance is a two-way conversation between the service provider and the patient, or parent or guardian only, to agree the next step in the patient’s pathway. There is contact with the clinician in real time (e.g. via telephone, VC, Skype). The patient record is updated accordingly, and the patient pathway updated.
Could Not Attend (CNA) and Did Not Attend (DNA)
The process to be followed in relation to offering further dates for assessment to children or young people who could not attend or did not attend their assessment will be determined locally. For the purposes of these returns:
CNA – The clock start point is reset to the date at which the patient notified the service that they were unable to attend the appointment. There are no restrictions applied regarding the maximum number of times a date can be reset.
DNA – The clock start point is reset to the date the patient did not attend the appointment. There are no restrictions applied regarding the maximum number of times a date can be reset.
Adjustments
Where the patient is unavailable for medical or social reasons, an adjustment should be made to the wait time to take account of the period of unavailability.
Cancellations by the Neurodevelopment Service
If the Neurodevelopment Service cancels a patient's appointment, the waiting times clock continues, and a new appointment must be booked i.e. the clock is not reset.
Note: Where there is a requirement to obtain additional information in support of a referral, such as information from a social worker, the clock should not be stopped.