We’re proud to provide tailored support for AXA Health members and their families who are navigating neurodevelopmental differences.
If you think that you, or a family member aged seven or over, could benefit from an assessment for autism, ADHD, or a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, we’re here to help you take the first step.
If you have not yet been referred, please speak to your AXA membership team.
The journey to getting an assessment for autism, ADHD, or specific learning differences can be long and stressful. However, through the AXA Health Neurodiversity Assessment and Support service, ProblemShared aims to make this process as accessible and affirming as possible.
You must have a referral from a GP for the assessment or service you are trying to access. You will be asked to upload a GP referral letter during your enrolment into the service.
This 30-minute call, overseen by a ProblemShared clinician, is an opportunity to discern your needs, map out a plan for your care, and help you understand how the assessment process will work.
Your clinician will be able to answer any questions you might have at this stage.
Before your assessment can take place, we will ask you to download and complete some digital forms to provide our clinicians with necessary background information.
These forms need to be completed by:
- You
- In the case of ADHD and autism assessments, someone who knows you/your child well, known as an informant
Within 28 days of your assessment, you will receive a detailed written report complete with personalised recommendations, resources and details about the next steps of your support.
We believe that care shouldn’t stop once you receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Through the AXA Health Neurodiversity Assessment and Support service, you will be offered a range of post-diagnostic support options:
We believe that care shouldn’t stop once you receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Through the AXA Health Neurodiversity Assessment and Support service, you will be offered a range of post-diagnostic support options:
Our psychoeducation group sessions are a safe space where you can learn about your diagnosis and what it means for you, in the company of experienced practitioners and other newly diagnosed individuals embarking on a similar journey.
If you choose to try medication after a positive ADHD diagnosis, you will have frequent reviews with a team of expert ADHD nurses who will look at your specific care and prescribing needs.
Everyone’s treatment is bespoke, but typically our specialist nurses will review your medication monthly until you’re at the right dose of medication to manage your ADHD, with the fewest side effects.
This special teaching and advisory programme is designed to optimise the learning experience within your/your child’s educational setting, advocate for the reasonable adjustments that you/your child need, and identify support options in your local area.
Clients between the ages of 7 to 19 years old, as well as higher education students up to the age of 22, can access our Education Navigation service, if they are not also in full-time employment.Learn more
Our team of accredited SpLD practitioners is regulated by the SASC (SpLD Assessment Standards Committee), thoroughly vetted by us, and highly trained in delivering effective online assessments.
Many of our team members have led or worked within NHS teams, bringing extensive expertise and often lived experience to their work, ensuring the highest standard of care.
We’re here to help you find the right support for you and your family.
The whole assessment process can vary in duration from client to client, but typically it lasts between 2 and 4 months, from your Initial Needs Assessment all the way through to receiving your diagnostic report.
Your Initial Needs Assessment will take place within 14 days of your acceptance into the service, but typically this happens within 5 days.
Before your assessment can take place, there are several digital forms that you need to complete. The forms should be filled out by the individual seeking a diagnosis, as well as other people relevant to the assessment process. These people include an appointed individual known as an 'informant', who can provide further information to clinicians that will contribute to an assessment outcome, or in the case of children, their teacher or school representative.
There are many helpful resources to guide you through the process, including support articles and videos that explain how to complete your digital forms, who to choose as your informant, and how to navigate your assessment sessions with confidence.
The Initial Needs Assessment takes 45 minutes. This initial call is an opportunity for you to meet with a ProblemShared clinician, who will understand your needs, answer any questions you might have at this stage, and explain how the assessment process will work.
Once your Initial Needs Assessment has happened, your actual assessment can take place. This is much longer in duration. It involves the completion of several digital forms and several online sessions with a highly qualified ProblemShared assessor.
ProblemShared aim to give you the outcome of your assessment either at the end of your assessment, or later on the same day.
In some more complex cases, this is not possible. If this applies to you, your clinician will explain the reasoning to you, and a further follow-up call will be made to give you the outcome at another time.
Within 4-6 weeks of your having your assessment, you will receive your full diagnostic report, which will clearly show the reasons for our decision about a diagnosis or non-diagnosis. You will also be given some recommendations for support.
If 6 weeks have passed and you have not received your report, please contact help@problemshared.net.
A GP must make the initial referral in order for you to be accepted into the Neurodevelopmental Assessments and Support service. This can be from your own NHS GP.
If you are seeking an ADHD assessment, involving your NHS GP is important if you decide to opt in to the medication service as a means of support. This is so that your GP can perform any required physical health checks prior to medication (for children and young people) and also take over prescribing your future prescriptions once your medication has stabilised - a process known as 'shared care'.
In the event that your GP refuses to accept shared care, you will be given the option to self-fund ongoing prescribing and medication costs and will be made aware of the financial implications at this stage.
Please note that the cost of outpatient drugs isn't usually paid for by an AXA Health private medical scheme. If you or your family member is referred to the medication service, you may have to pay for the prescription charges yourself.
If the Initial Needs Assessment determines that you don’t require further assessment for a neurodevelopmental condition, you will be advised by the AXA Health Clinical Support Team of the next steps on an individual basis.
It is possible for AXA Health members to complete the part of their pathway that they have already started at the point that their policy lapses, on a self-pay basis. Please note that the self-pay option is to facilitate the completion of partial pathways only. It is not possible for AXA Health members to start another part of their pathway on a self-pay basis.
If you choose not to self-pay, you can explore the Right to Choose homepage on the ProblemShared website. Here, you can learn about the process of accessing ProblemShared neurodevelopmental assessments and support through the NHS Right to Choose scheme. Please note that this would involve attaining a new referral from your GP.
This benefit is only available to those enrolled on your company's AXA Health scheme. Eligibility and enrolment onto your company's healthcare scheme will be coordinated by your employer.
ProblemShared is experienced in writing reports and making recommendations in a format that is accepted by local education authorities and NHS GPs. We cannot universally guarantee acceptance by every entity because local requirements may differ.
We are aware of low acceptance rates in Northern Ireland for all assessments, with no acceptance of young people's autism diagnoses.
However, the prescribing teams within ProblemShared's medication service will work with GPs as needed to facilitate shared care.
Furthermore, the aim of the education navigator service for children 7 to 19 years old, as well as higher education students up to the age of 22, is to provide guidance on how to engage your local school/education authority, so members will be assisted with this.
SpLD assessments, like dyslexia, are carried out by professionals with Assessment Practising Certificates, which means they are accepted by a wide range of institutions, including universities and professional bodies.
We would suggest you don’t cancel your NHS arrangements until you have spoken to AXA Health or ProblemShared.