Shared Care Requests

We understand that patients may receive treatment from specialist providers—both NHS and private—and that these providers sometimes request your GP to take over prescribing and monitoring. This is known as a shared care request.

What Is a Shared Care Request?

A shared care request asks your GP to support ongoing treatment that was started by a specialist clinic. This often includes prescribing medication and monitoring your health as part of that treatment.

How We Review These Requests

Every shared care request is carefully reviewed by our clinical team to ensure it is safe, appropriate, and manageable within our practice. To maintain high standards of care, we follow a structured process:

    1. Initial Assessment

We check that the request includes all necessary clinical information—such as diagnosis, treatment plan, medication details, and monitoring requirements.

    1. Senior GP Partner Review

All requests are reviewed by the GP Partners before a final decision is made. We consider:

    • Whether the treatment is safe and suitable for shared care
    • The quality and governance of the initiating provider
    • Whether specialist support is available
    • Our practice’s capacity to take on the request
    1. Communication
    • We respond directly to the requesting provider with our decision
    • You will also be informed of the outcome in writing, with a clear explanation
    • If we are unable to accept the request, we will offer guidance on alternative options, such as NHS referrals

Why Might a Request Be Declined?

We may decline a shared care request if:

  • We cannot verify the safety or governance of the provider
  • The treatment requires specialist oversight we cannot guarantee
  • Our practice does not have the capacity to safely take on the responsibility.

As a general rule we are likely to share care with Cornwall NHS specialists if there is a written shared care agreement supported by Cornwall Integrated Care Board. This guarantees that you are getting safe care. However, we are unlikely to share care with a Right to Choose or private provider outside of the Cornwall shared care agreement. It is for this reason that we would encourage you to seek help through local referral as not doing so may make your long term prescribing difficult.

Supporting You

We know this can be frustrating, and we’re committed to supporting your health and wellbeing. You can always speak to your GP about other physical or mental health concerns, and we’re happy to help with NHS referrals where appropriate.