Two-month ADHD prescriptions welcomed as “positive step” - Jersey Evening Post
by Christie Bailey · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Two-month ADHD prescriptions welcomed as “positive step”
by Christie Bailey 6 July 20263 July 2026
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A NEW prescribing policy that will allow ADHD patients to collect two-month prescriptions instead of having to go to the pharmacy every month “will make a real difference to people’s daily lives”, a support group leader has said.
ADHD Jersey founder Rachel Boss praised the change, which is due to be implemented in August, as a “positive step”.
Health and Care Jersey confirmed it is developing its first dedicated policy for prescribing ADHD medication to adults, with the main change allowing prescriptions to be extended from one month to two months where “clinically appropriate”.
Managing director Andy Weir said the change was intended to make life easier for patients while freeing up clinicians’ time.
He explained: “A new prescribing policy is being developed specifically to extend the length of a prescription for adult ADHD medication. Where clinically appropriate, it will be extended from one month to two months.
“The change aims to make it easier for patients to access and collect their medication. It will also increase capacity within the service as clinicians will spend less time processing routine prescription renewals.”
Mrs Boss said: “This is a positive step and, importantly, it shows what happens when prescribers are actually listened to.
“Clinicians on the ground have been saying for a long time that monthly prescriptions were creating unnecessary pressure for everyone, and it is encouraging to see that feedback acted on.
“For adults with ADHD, the monthly trip to the hospital pharmacy is far more stressful than most people realise. The queues, the harsh lighting, the noise, the waiting.
“For a community with sensory sensitivities and executive function challenges, that environment every single month is genuinely draining, on top of the constant anxiety of running out of medication.
“Cutting those visits in half will make a real difference to people’s daily lives.”
But the non-profit organisation leader added that “good is not the same as enough”.
“This change helps people already in the system, while almost 1,200 adults are still waiting for assessment,” explained Mrs Boss.
“The median wait is already close to two years, and at the current pace of assessments, someone joining the list today could realistically be waiting up to five years. That is five years of someone’s life, career, relationships and mental health left on hold.”
She called for Jersey to introduce shared-care agreements, which would allow GPs to handle repeat prescriptions after a specialist initiates ADHD treatment.
Both child and adult mental-health services have been pushing for this arrangement, which is standard across the UK, since 2023.
But Jersey GPs, whose support would be needed to introduce shared-care arrangements, have raised concerns about capacity, expertise, and the lack of funding to deliver this service.
Mrs Boss said: “The change we most need to see is shared care, so that GPs can manage medication for stable patients as they do in the UK.
“That is what would genuinely transform the service, free up specialist time for assessments, and bring that waiting list down.
“Two-month prescriptions ease the pressure. Shared care would fix the pipe.”
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