October marks an important month amongst healthcare professionals as a month that honours the awareness of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). As part of ADHD Awareness month, we had the privilege of speaking to one of our clients Bolu Abifarin.
Bolu is an ADHD specialised pharmacist operating in the private healthcare space. He can help those with the condition by understanding their clinical needs and prescribing the appropriate medication. However, that is only a summary of how his services are able to support individuals with ADHD.
This is what Bolu had to say about the current ADHD landscape, alongside how the advice and cover provided by MIAB can protect him against potential risks, with our Specialist Insurance Advisor Ryan Gillham and Client Engagement Executive Maddie Cooper.
Question: What are the main challenges you face as an ADHD Pharmacist?
Answer: Generally speaking for me, I think that the main challenges I deal with are the caseload numbers.
I came from the NHS before I went private last year, but because of the large numbers of referrals and new patients in the UK, clinicians are having to take on more and more numbers. This comes with the challenges of back-to-back appointments and the volume of work can be quite overwhelming.
Question: I suppose that takes a toll on the admin work as well?
Answer: Yeah, admin in terms of the extra workload you have to do. A lot of writing prescriptions and contact time which can be a struggle to manage.
Services regardless of whether they’re NHS or private – everyone is struggling to keep up with the workload. Another problem we’ve had is the medicine shortage we’ve had over the last year.
Question: How have you coped with that, have there been alternate medicines you can prescribe or are you just having to wait for a restock?
Answer: Usually, there are alternatives.
But it’s all very frustrating. The most frustrating part is prescribing patients with something which works and then suddenly becomes unavailable. Which means you have to try something else.
Question: How have you found the advice and cover provided by MIAB?
Answer: I’ve found it really helpful. Since coming from the NHS and going into private, I contacted some of the established providers who were unable to extend their coverage.
Ryan has always been available over the phone, with a lot of patience and time.
Question: You have referred quite a few pharmacists over to us so far, what about MIAB makes you want to recommend us?
Answer: One of my friends recommended me MIAB, suggesting that I give you guys a call.
After that everything felt very smooth. I was able to fill out my proposal form, what cover I needed and even the quotes I found very reasonable. Other quotes I received were twice, maybe three times the price.
There was also quite a few things I didn’t understand because it was my first time sourcing cover on the open market but Ryan was able to clearly explain to me.
Question: How do you think the sector has coped with a vast number of ADHD referrals?
Answer: There’s has been more of a drive in terms of recruitment and hiring staff. That’s all they can do. Just bring in even more admin staff who are first line to booking appointments and patient enquiries.
Question: Why is ADHD so important?
Answer: Obviously diagnosis is important. The earlier you can diagnose ADHD the better – and for your lifelong outcome.
People with ADHD are 3X more likely to commit suicide, especially if it’s undiagnosed or untreated. Underlying ADHD can cause a big mental health struggle which can be avoided with diagnosis. That’s just the mental health side of things, physical health can bring problems as well.
People with ADHD are more likely to have physical health conditions. They’re more likely to have heart disease or lung disease from smoking and more likely to miss appointments.
Question: Is there any particular message you wanted to push for this year’s ADHD Awareness Month?
Answer: Definitely spreading awareness about the fact that non-medical clinicians can help with ADHD.
I’m a pharmacist so I can not only help with prescribing but diagnosing as well. The ADHD NICE guidelines do not specify that a doctor necessarily has to do the diagnosis. A lot of people are not too aware of that.
We followed our conversation by reflecting on our parent company Benefact, who are the second biggest corporate charity donor in the UK. Bolu went onto nominate his favourite charity in support of The ADHD Foundation for the £1,000 prize draw, which will be announced on December 13th 2024. Regardless of whether you’re a client of ours, the Movement for Good is an accessible programme for anyone who would like to donate to good causes. Nominate your favourite charity today: https://benefactgroup.com/movement-for-good/
We would again like to thank Bolu for his time to speak with us. MIAB continues to provide ongoing cover and advice, caring for those who care the most. If you would like to speak to Ryan or the Medical Malpractice team regarding your cover, you can phone him on 01438 547055. Or alternatively, you are able to fill out a general enquiry quickly using the box to the right.
