Review and fund improved diagnosis and treatment of ADHD

The average wait time to get a diagnosis for ADHD in England is 104 weeks in some areas.

Government should rethink and fund more services to spot ADHD sooner, bring diagnosis times down, help people with ADHD get back on track quickly and prevent strains on mental health and benefit systems.

People with ADHD can flourish in work and relationships with access to the right support - but it can take 2 years on average to get diagnosed in some areas, and up to 4 in others.

I couldn’t keep my first job due to ADHD symptoms which could have been prevented with medical help. Now I am medicated, I am successful at work, leading a promising career.

I will walk 104 miles to parliament from Dorset to hand this petition in and make sure ADHD is spotted sooner and help others.

Thank you for your petition calling for the government to review and fund improved diagnosis and treatment services for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Thank you for sharing details of your situation. We absolutely agree it is important to receive a timely diagnosis. We want to make this possible for more people with ADHD to share similar success at work by improving diagnostic processes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are the organisation that provides the guidelines for diagnosing ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD should be made as soon as possible and in line with NICE’s clinical guideline (NG876) ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management’. This updated guideline, published in September 2019, aims to improve the diagnosis of ADHD and the quality of care and support that people receive.

Diagnosis of ADHD can be challenging because there is no physical test for ADHD (such as a blood test). Additionally, people often have ADHD alongside other conditions. Symptoms of different conditions can overlap and hide the symptoms of ADHD e.g. autism, language disorder, dyspraxia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The NICE guideline does not recommend a maximum waiting time standard from referral for an assessment of ADHD to the point of diagnosis.

The clinical guidelines on ADHD published by NICE should be taken into account by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) when commissioning services for their local populations. Whilst clinical guidelines are not mandatory, following them will help improve the quality of care and services. Decisions on ADHD services and treatment are made locally by CCGs.