Refer a patient

About our service

Caledonian Psychiatry is an independent online psychiatric practice, headquartered in North Berwick, East Lothian, offering specialist assessment and treatment for adults aged 18 and over. All consultations are delivered via secure video link, and all clinical care is provided personally by Dr David Crocker, a psychiatrist with MRCPsych who has completed over 5,500 clinical appointments.

Our core areas of expertise are ADHD assessment and autism spectrum assessment, including ongoing medication management and treatment review.

Clinical standards and governance

Caledonian Psychiatry is registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and operates in accordance with NICE, SIGN and ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines. ADHD assessments follow NICE NG87 and SIGN 145, and the service is aligned with the AQAS (ADHD Quality Assured Service) standard. Autism assessments follow NICE CG142. All prescribing follows current British National Formulary guidance and NICE recommendations, with a commitment to safe, evidence-based initiation, titration and monitoring. Both of the practice’s psychiatrists, Dr David Crocker (founder and Clinical Director) and Dr Abderahman Kamaledeen (Associate Specialist Psychiatrist), practise in accordance with the GMC’s Good Medical Practice framework, hold current appraisal and indemnity, and maintain structured peer review arrangements to support ongoing clinical governance.

How to refer

We accept referrals from healthcare professionals as well as self-referrals directly from patients. There is no requirement for a GP referral letter, although any supporting clinical information is always helpful and appreciated.

What to include in a referral

A formal referral letter is not required. A brief summary or even a short email is perfectly sufficient. The following information is helpful where available, though please do not let any missing details delay the referral:

• Patient name, date of birth and contact details
• Reason for referral and any specific question or concern
• Current medications
• Relevant psychiatric or medical history
• Whether the patient is aware of and consents to the referral

Dr Crocker appreciates how busy general practice is, and much of this information can come directly from the patient. Patients are welcome to include any relevant details when booking or to send them ahead of their appointment.

For ADHD or autism referrals, any collateral information such as school reports, previous screening results or informant accounts is very welcome and can be uploaded or forwarded ahead of the appointment.

What happens next

On receipt of a referral, we will contact the patient directly to arrange an initial consultation. We aim to offer appointments within two to four weeks of receiving a referral, although waiting times may vary. Following assessment, a detailed clinical letter is sent to the referring professional and the patient’s GP (with consent), summarising findings, diagnosis and recommendations.

Where medication is initiated, we will write to the patient’s GP with full clinical details and, once the patient is stable, submit a shared care request where appropriate. We recognise that shared care arrangements are at each GP practice’s discretion and are happy to provide any additional information needed to support this process. If a practice later needs to withdraw from a shared care arrangement, we resume full prescribing responsibility promptly and at no new assessment cost to the patient; and if a patient disengages from specialist review, we inform the practice rather than leave it prescribing unsupported.