ASD & ADHD Assessment Team

The Neurodevelopmental Autism  & ADHD Service for Brentwood, Basildon and Thurrock is a Multidisciplinary team consisting of professionals who are highly skilled in the assessment and diagnosis of Autism and ADHD.

Children referred will typically be exhibiting developmental differences which affect their social communication, speech and language development, attention, learning ability, emotions, sensory processing, and regulation that unfold as they develop and grow.

My Care Bridge - New referral portal

My Care Bridge

My Care Bridge, a new online portal for referrals for children and young people’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services in mid and south Essex, is coming soon.

GPs, health visitors, and educational settings can use My Care Bridge to make and track new referrals, and provide additional information about the child or young person. Referrals will continue to be accepted through SystmOne for the time being. 

Families, children and young people can us the portal to track their referral, add information, and access a library of local support, aiming to give children, young people and their families a better experience.

The portal is for children and young people aged 3 to 18, who are registered with a GP in mid and south Essex. This includes Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock.

The portal been developed by the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative, a partnership between Essex Partnership University Trust, North East London Foundation Trust and Provide Community Interest Company.

My Care Bridge FAQs

Which areas are covered by the portal?

The portal is for children who are registered with a GP in mid and south Essex. This includes Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock.

Which ages is the portal for?

The portal is for children and young people aged up to 18 years old.

Who can make a referral?

Educational settings, health visitors, GPs, and other healthcare professionals including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and audiologists can make a referral. If you are a healthcare professional and unsure if you can make a referral, please contact your local service. 

Which educational settings can use the portal?

Nurseries, schools, and colleges can use the portal.

Will the portal tell me how long the referral will take? 

The portal cannot tell you how long the referral will take, however it will allow you track your referral in the system so you can see if here are any delays.

Can I still refer to SystmOne? 

Yes, GPs and health visitors can still use SystmOne to refer, however we recommend using the portal as it allows families to track their referral and access information about local support.

I’m having issues accessing or using the portal – who should I contact? 

Please contact the relevant children’s service:

How do I get a login to the portal?

GPs, health visitors and other health professionals, visit the referral link for your local area:

Educational settings: https://education-setting.mycarebridge.co.uk 
Parents and carers: You will be emailed with access information when your referral is made by a GP, health visitor, or educational setting.  

What is the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative?

The Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative is a partnership between Provide Community, NELFT and EPUT.

How is data kept secure? 

Data is held securely on encrypted servers, with the relevant access control systems in place, following the Data Protection Act 2018 principles.

Who do I contact about the content in the local support and resources section? 

Please contact the relevant children’s service:

What about adult referrals for autism and ADHD services? 

People aged over 18 should contact their GP to discuss a referral to adult autism/ ADHD services in mid and south Essex. GPs should continue to follow current pathways for referring people aged over 18.

Which healthcare professionals can make referrals?

GPs, HVs, and other child health professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and audiologists working in children’s services. If you are a healthcare professional and unsure if you can make a referral, please contact the relevant service in your area. 

Can GPs/ health visitors/ other healthcare professionals track referrals? 

GPs will receive automated email updates as the child’s referral progresses through the system.

What are your current waiting times?

We continue to receive a very high number of referrals for Autism and ADHD assessments. As a result of this it may take longer than usual for the referral to have a clinical review by one of our clinicians and an outcome of the referral shared with referrers and parents – we are working hard to ensure that outcomes are communicated  in a timely manner. 

There are currently also long waits for neurodevelopmental assessments – such as Autism and ADHD, due to the number of children being referred for this service. Each child’s assessment can require different activities to be carried out therefore waiting times can vary from patient to patient.  Our current average wait for completion of assessment is between 18 and 24 months. We are working very hard to reduce our waiting times as much as we possibly can.