Mental Health Practice Regulation: ADHD Prescribing, Repeat Prescriptions and Reducing Claims Risk

In this episode of Confidence to Thrive, Owlicity director Christopher Cloke-Browne talks about navigating regulation and risk when building and growing a private mental health practice.

Christopher explains that the private sector, including functional medicine, has led mental health provision while the NHS has been under capacity, creating fewer consistent standards to draw on in a deeply individualistic and higher-risk area.

He also notes the rapid rise in ADHD diagnoses and medication, the shift toward online diagnosis, and the tightrope of selecting and monitoring medication given side effects and repeat-prescription risks.

Christopher warns of ethical and regulatory exposure where financial incentives drive prescribing, highlights the likelihood of future claims or class actions around misdiagnosis/overmedication, and stresses rigorous documentation, clear criteria, regular review, and swift complaints handling, alongside considering non-medication options such as lifestyle and social prescribing.

Episode time stamps

• 00:41 The growth of mental health services in the private sector
• 02:23 The gaps in regulation standards
• 03:55 The ADHD prescribing debate
• 05:39 Ethics and financial incentives
• 07:32 The question of repeat prescription reviews
• 09:29 The risk of class action - and defence
• 15:38 Neurodiversity and Spotify
• 19:36 The importance of keeping up with policy
• 22:01 Key takeaways
  
  

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This podcast was brought to you by Owlicity Insurance Advisors who support your business ambitions. Owlicity advises practitioners, owners, and entrepreneurs of healthcare practises on mitigating risks so your business can thrive.

Learn more about how Owlicity can support here: Owlicity.co.uk

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