Version: 1.0
Approved: June 2026
Review Date: June 2027​​​​​​​​​​​

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Welcome to Effra Clinic

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Thank you for choosing Effra Clinic.

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We are an independent, psychiatrist-led service providing assessment, diagnosis and treatment for ADHD, autism and related mental health difficulties.

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This document explains how our service works, what you can expect from us, and what we ask of patients attending the clinic.

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By booking an appointment with Effra Clinic, you confirm that you have read and understood this information. For the children’s Effra clinic, this is expected to be done by a parent with parental responsibility on their behalf.

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Key Things You Need to Know

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We are not an emergency service

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Effra Clinic is not an emergency or crisis service.

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If you are concerned about your immediate safety or the safety of another person, please:

• Call 999 in an emergency

• Attend your nearest Accident and Emergency Department

• Contact NHS 111

• Contact your GP

• Contact your local Mental Health Crisis Service if applicable

Emails and administrative messages are not monitored continuously and should never be used for urgent or emergency situations.

 

Shared Care Cannot Be Guaranteed

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Where medication is prescribed, your clinician may recommend a shared care arrangement with your GP.

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However, shared care agreements remain entirely at the discretion of your GP and local NHS services. Effra Clinic cannot guarantee that a shared care request will be accepted.

 

Appointments and Follow-up

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Patients are responsible for attending scheduled appointments and booking recommended follow-up appointments.

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If you are unsure when you should next be reviewed, please contact the clinic.

 

Contacting the Clinic

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The best way to contact the clinic is by email:

For the adult service: maria@effraclinic.co.uk

For the children service: children@effraclinic.co.uk

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Our telephone number is 0203 322 5532

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Please note that our telephone line is not monitored continuously and voicemail messages may not be picked up immediately.

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Administrative queries will usually receive a response during normal working hours.

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Clinical concerns may require a follow-up appointment and clinicians may not be able to provide detailed clinical advice by email.

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Registered Address

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The Effra Clinic

66 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4NA

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Please note that this is the clinic's registered business address and is not where patients attend appointments.

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Appointment locations and joining instructions will be provided separately in appointment correspondence.

 

Before Your Appointment

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Why do we ask for information before an appointment?

The information you provide helps us understand:

• the concerns you wish to discuss;

• whether our service is appropriate;

• what type of assessment or support may be required;

• whether there are any important clinical issues that should be considered.

Providing complete and accurate information helps us deliver safe and effective care.

 

What information do we collect?

Our registration forms may include information about:

• symptoms;

• diagnoses;

• medications;

• treatment history;

• mental health history;

• neurodevelopmental history;

• physical health history;

• family history;

• contact details, including parents’ details for children.

This information is treated as confidential healthcare information.

Patients are responsible for ensuring that information provided to the clinic is accurate and updated where appropriate (e.g. when you have changed GP or you have moved to a new address).

 

Assessments and Treatment

Depending on your needs, Effra Clinic may provide:

• ADHD assessments;

• autism assessments;

• psychiatric assessments;

• diagnostic opinions;

• medication management;

• follow-up reviews;

• treatment recommendations.

Recommendations are based on the information available at the time of assessment and may change if new information becomes available.

Our involvement is limited to the services agreed with you and does not replace the role of your GP or NHS services in providing ongoing healthcare.

 

Prescriptions and Medication

Where medication is prescribed:

• prescribing decisions remain the responsibility of the treating clinician;

• ongoing prescribing may require physical health monitoring;

• medication reviews may be required at regular intervals;

• prescriptions may be withheld if adequate monitoring information is not available.

Controlled drugs are prescribed in accordance with applicable legislation and professional guidance.

Patients should ensure they request repeat prescriptions with sufficient notice and attend recommended reviews.

 

Shared Care

Where appropriate, your clinician may recommend a shared care arrangement with your GP.

Shared care agreements are voluntary arrangements entered into at the discretion of individual GPs and NHS organisations.

Effra Clinic cannot guarantee that a shared care request will be accepted.

 

Transfer of Care

Some patients choose to transfer care from another healthcare provider to Effra Clinic.

Where appropriate, we may request previous reports, clinic letters, prescribing records or other relevant clinical information to support safe and effective treatment.

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Patients may also be asked to consent to communication between Effra Clinic and previous healthcare providers.

 

Communication Between Appointments

We aim to provide a responsive and supportive service.

However:

• email should not be used for emergencies;

• complex clinical matters may require a follow-up appointment;

• clinicians may not be available to provide detailed clinical advice between appointments;

• response times may vary depending on staff availability and clinical commitments.

Unless otherwise agreed, responsibility for your overall medical care remains with your GP and NHS services between appointments.

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Patients are encouraged to seek appropriate support from their GP, NHS services or emergency services where urgent assessment or intervention is required.

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Effra Clinic is not an emergency or crisis service and cannot provide urgent mental health assessment or crisis management outside scheduled appointments.

 

Fees, Cancellations and Non-Attendance

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Fees

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Current fees are available on our website and may be updated periodically.

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Additional fees may apply for:

• prescriptions;

• additional reports;

• forms;

• letters requested outside routine clinical care;

• other work requested outside standard appointments.

Patients are responsible for ensuring payment of fees in accordance with clinic policies.

 

Cancellation Policy​

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If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment, please contact the clinic as soon as possible.

 

Our service is busy and our patients need to wait before we are able to see them. Therefore, if you are unable to make your appointment or you don’t wish to have it anymore, please provide at least 3 working days notice so that there is time to arrange for someone from the waiting list to be seen. If the 72 hours notice of cancellation is not provided, then the full consultation fee will be charged. 

 

In the case of assessment packages that involve multiple appointments, failure to attend a single scheduled appointment will incur a cancellation and rebooking fee of £250. A new date and time for the missed appointment will be arranged.

 

The Effra clinic reserves the right not to offer any further appointments to a patient if there are repeated appointment cancelations or fees are not settled as this prevents the offer of our services to other patients waiting.

The clinic reserves the right to charge cancellation or non-attendance fees in accordance with the published cancellation policy.

 

Confidentiality

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Information shared with the clinic is treated as confidential and handled in accordance with professional standards and applicable data protection legislation.

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With your consent, information may be shared with:

• your GP;

• healthcare professionals involved in your care;

• family members or carers where appropriate.

 

There are rare circumstances where information may need to be shared without consent, including where:

• there are serious concerns regarding your safety or the safety of others;

• disclosure is required by law;

• disclosure is required by a court, regulator or safeguarding authority.

 

Privacy and Data Protection

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Effra Clinic is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information responsibly.

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Our Privacy Notice explains:

• what information we collect;

• how we use it;

• how long we keep it;

• your rights regarding your information; and

• how to contact us regarding data protection matters.

 

Our Privacy Notice is available at: https://www.effraclinic.co.uk/privacy-policy

 

How Effra Uses Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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Effra sometimes uses secure, healthcare-compliant AI tools to support clinicians in note-taking and administrative work.

 

The technology does not record video and does not collect information beyond what is spoken during the appointment.

 

This allows clinicians to focus more on the conversation and less on typing during the appointment.

 

Access is restricted to authorised clinical staff only.

 

AI does not replace clinical judgement or human oversight.

 

Your clinician reviews and edits all AI-generated documentation to ensure it is complete and accurate before it becomes part of your medical record.

 

Transcripts are deleted once your assessment report has been drafted, or immediately if consent is withdrawn.

 

Can I choose not to have AI tools used?

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Yes.

 

You may opt out at any time by selecting the relevant option on your registration form or by notifying clinic staff.

 

Choosing not to use AI transcription will not affect your assessment, treatment or care in any way.

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How We Keep Your Information

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What happens if I do not proceed with an appointment?

People sometimes decide not to proceed with an assessment or treatment.

 

If you complete registration forms but do not proceed, your record will usually be closed after a period of inactivity.

 

This does not mean that you remain an active patient of the clinic.

 

However, because healthcare information has been provided, records may still need to be retained securely in accordance with legal, professional and regulatory record-keeping requirements.

 

How long do you keep records?

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Healthcare providers are required to retain records for longer than many other organisations.

 

Retention periods vary according to:

• the type of record;

• the age of the individual concerned;

• legal and professional requirements.

 

Effra Clinic regularly reviews retained records and does not retain information indefinitely without review.

 

Accessing Your Information

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Can I ask to see the information you hold?

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Yes.

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You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

 

Can I ask for information to be corrected?

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Yes.

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If you believe information is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us.

 

Can I ask for information to be deleted?

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Yes.

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We will consider all requests carefully.

 

However, healthcare providers are not always able to delete healthcare records immediately because legal, regulatory, professional or patient-safety obligations may require continued retention.

 

Where information cannot be deleted, we will explain the reasons.

 

How do I make a request?

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Please contact the clinic in writing at: maria@effraclinic.co.uk

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We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

 

Complaints

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We are committed to providing a high standard of care and service.

 

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive, we encourage you to tell us so that we can investigate and learn from your experience.

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Complaints may be submitted to: complaints@effraclinic.co.uk

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We aim to:

• acknowledge complaints within 3 working days;

• investigate concerns fairly and objectively;

• provide a written response within 20-25 working days wherever possible.

 

Making a complaint will not affect your care.

 

A full copy of the Effra Clinic Complaints Procedure is available here

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Respectful Behaviour

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Effra Clinic is committed to providing a safe, respectful and supportive environment for patients, families and staff.

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We ask patients and visitors to:

• treat staff with courtesy and respect;

• provide accurate information relevant to their care;

• attend appointments punctually;

• communicate concerns constructively;

• respect the privacy and confidentiality of staff and other patients.

 

Abusive, threatening, discriminatory, harassing or aggressive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated and may result in the clinic ending its involvement in your care where appropriate.

 

Patients are welcome to make recordings of their own consultations for personal use. We ask that clinicians are informed at the start of the appointment so that this can be documented in the clinical record

 

Useful Information

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Further information is available on our website, including:

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Adult Assessment Information

• Child Assessment Information

• Privacy Notice

• Complaints Procedure

 

Agreement

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By booking an appointment with Effra Clinic, you confirm that you have read and understood this Patient Information and Terms and Conditions document and agree to engage with the clinic in accordance with the information set out above.

 

Thank you for choosing Effra Clinic.

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