In the UK, mental health care is delivered by a variety of dedicated professionals. When standard care leaves you with unanswered questions, understanding the different scopes of clinical practice is vital:
A true second opinion is a thorough, highly analytical process. By nature, second opinions are significantly more complex than standard initial assessments. Because you are presenting with an existing medical history and previous treatment trials, resolving your case requires meticulous attention to detail.
A formal second opinion consultation requires a minimum of 120 minutes of dedicated clinical time. This process involves an in-depth clinical interview and the drafting of a comprehensive clinical report. Furthermore, in cases involving extensive medical histories, additional billable clinician time may be necessary to ensure a rigorous review of your previous psychiatric notes and records prior to your consultation.
Due to the extensive clinician time and advanced expertise required to review complex medical histories, second opinions command a higher investment of both time and resources compared to a standard assessment.
To ensure the most accurate and comprehensive evaluation, your initial second opinion assessment is conducted via secure video consultation. Observing you in your natural environment provides invaluable clinical data and behavioural insights that are often masked in a formal, unfamiliar clinic setting.
Should you choose to transition your ongoing care to our practice following the assessment, subsequent follow-up sessions can be arranged either in person at our Harley Street consulting rooms or via secure video link, tailored entirely to your preference and convenience.
While our objective is always to significantly improve your quality of life, it is important to approach a second opinion with realistic clinical expectations.
Just as a specialist cardiologist focuses on optimising heart function rather than promising a complete reversal of complex conditions, a psychiatrist cannot always resolve deeply entrenched or naturally treatment-resistant presentations. What we provide is an independent, in-depth psychiatric evaluation to optimise your situation with the most advanced, evidence-based tools available.
Because we maintain absolute clinical objectivity, professional fees are non-refundable should the medical findings not align with your initial expectations. We are committed to providing an honest, expert medical opinion, rather than a guaranteed confirmation of a desired outcome.
Following the delivery of your second opinion, our clinic does not automatically assume ongoing responsibility for your psychiatric care. The choice of how to proceed remains entirely yours.
Many patients prefer to conclude their engagement with us after the assessment, utilising our detailed clinical letter to guide their ongoing care with their existing medical provider.
Alternatively, if deemed clinically appropriate, you may elect to transition your care to our practice and commence a bespoke treatment plan. To maintain our high standards of clinical excellence, any ongoing management is conducted exclusively via comprehensive 60-minute follow-up sessions. We do not recommend or offer shorter appointments, as they do not allow sufficient time to properly manage complex psychiatric care.
Our primary goal is to see our patients thrive sustainably—in their professional careers, their relationships, and their family lives. For this reason, our clinic does not provide automatic medical endorsements. We do not offer second opinions simply to validate external administrative requests or to sign off on paperwork without full clinical merit. Our focus remains strictly on thorough, evidence-based clinical work.
A second opinion is a detailed clinical process. While a standard assessment looks for the presence of ADHD, a second opinion involves a meticulous review of your previous diagnostic reports, medical history, and treatment trajectory. Dr Ivantu dedicates two hours to the clinical consultation and additional time to reviewing your records and authoring a comprehensive report. This ensures we identify any potential misdiagnoses or overlapping complexities, such as executive burnout or trauma, that may have been overlooked.
Many NHS GPs and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) reject private reports that lack sufficient clinical depth or fail to meet strict NICE guidelines. As an Oxford-trained Consultant Psychiatrist on the GMC Specialist Register, Dr Ivantu provides the level of clinical rigour and detailed differential diagnosis that GPs require to feel safe entering into a Shared Care agreement for your prescribing.
We find that conducting the initial session via a secure, encrypted video link offers superior diagnostic value. It allows Dr Ivantu to observe you in your natural environment—where your ADHD symptoms or cognitive challenges actually manifest—rather than in the artificial setting of a clinic room. It also allows you to have your previous medical records and technology setup to hand. Should you require follow-up care, in-person appointments are available at our 10 Harley Street clinic in London for all registered patients.
The primary goal of a second opinion is to establish an independent clinical baseline. If clinically appropriate and safe, Dr Ivantu can recommend adjustments to your pharmacological plan or initiate a new treatment pathway. However, any medication change is a clinical decision made at the Consultant's discretion following a robust assessment of your cardiovascular health, symptoms, and previous treatment response. We do not offer "prescriptions on demand"; our focus is on finding the most effective and sustainable treatment for your specific neurobiology.
Absolutely. Many high-performing professionals "mask" their symptoms effectively, leading to missed diagnoses. Conversely, many people are misdiagnosed with ADHD when they are actually experiencing complex burnout or other psychiatric conditions. Dr Ivantu uses his extensive clinical experience to look beyond simple checklists, providing an honest, expert appraisal of your mental health, regardless of what previous evaluations have concluded.
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