Desperate patients using unregulated ADHD services due to long NHS waiting lists

A working group said that long waiting lists for the NHS for ADHD diagnosis And support has caused “significant growth in the use of private providers who are not regulated”.

THE ADHD Taskforce has published an interim report that the ADHD diagnostic and management system must be revised.

The working group was commissioned by the NHS England with the government’s support.

For the moment, the assessment of ADHD and treatment In England, is provided by doctors highly specialized in secondary care.

But the report warned: “The inability to access NHS services has led to significant growth in the use of private providers who are not regulated, which leads to access to two levels to services, diagnosis and treatment; One for those who can pay and another for those who cannot.

“It leads health inequalities And links with disproportionate impacts and results in education and justice systems, employment and health. »»

Experts behind the study The said waiting time for NHS ADHD services “has intensified and is unacceptably long” and the demand for services is “very likely” to continue to increase.

The working group has concluded that ADHD is not only the delivery of the NHS and other health providers, schools being vital to identify and meet needs at an early stage.

And while a Clinical diagnosis of ADHD via NHS is required if a person needs drugs, early support can always be provided to others.

The report indicates: “We need timely recognition and early support for ADHD and presumed neurodivergence in all parameters.

“This is particularly important in schools and the first years, to avoid negative impacts and expensive results in the future. This should be directed by needs and not require clinical diagnosis. ”

The report also suggested that there is no evidence of ADHD over-diagnosis in the United Kingdom.

He argued: “England and the rest of the United Kingdom have much lower services and treatment of the diagnosis of ADHD compared to other European countries.

“Recent data shows a very high level of sub-recognition and subcontracting of ADHD strictly diagnosed, with significant inequalities in access to care.”

The report also responded to concerns about the potential “over-medication and over-diagnosis”, including concerns that people self-diagnose ADHD according to social media information.

However, the report, said that “currently there is no good evidence on the percentage of those who are waiting to see a clinician to have self-diagnosed ADHD using social media and finally meet or not meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD after high quality assessment.

“We only know that in England, recognized rates of ADHD are lower than the expected prevalence of ADHD.”

Currently, the estimated economic costs of not treating ADHD are around 17 billion pounds sterling in the British economy, continued the report.

This includes thanks to a decrease in tax contributions, to people who need state benefits and more likely not to be in education, employment or training, or who are long -term unemployed.

“Many of these costs are avoidable, as for appropriate early support, people with ADHD can prosper,” he said.

Professor Anita Thapar, president of the ADHD working group, said: “The recommendations presented by the working group will require action between the government and transversal organizations to make the necessary changes to improve the lives of people with ADHD.

“We have to do things well, to make sure that people get early diagnosis and support, not just in the NHS, but throughout society.”

Dr. Adrian James, NHS England medical director for mental health and neurodiversity, said: “We know that too many people with ADHD have been waiting for too long for support, which is why we launched the working group last year to help respond to the significant growth in the need for care.

“It is clear that many more things must be done to improve the assessment and care of ADHD in England and guarantee that people can obtain a timely diagnosis, and we welcome the results of the interim report and look forward to its final conclusions later this year.”

The NHS has launched publicly available data on ADHD references and waiting times to help local teams better understand how they occur.

In March 2026, the government also aims at six out of 10 students to access a mental health support team at school.