NHS England will launch a new attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) taskforce alongside government to improve
care for people living with the condition.
The new taskforce will bring together expertise from
across a broad range of sectors, including the
NHS, education and justice, to better understand the
challenges affecting those with ADHD and help provide a
joined up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
ADHD was the second most viewed health condition on the NHS
website in 2023, after Covid-19, according to new figures
compiled by NHS England, with 4.3 million page views over the
course of the year.
Announcing the taskforce at the NHS England board meeting today,
health leaders outlined the work they have already carried out
assessing ADHD service provision and identifying the causes
of reported increases in demand.
An initial assessment of NHS care for those with
ADHD found many of the challenges span wider society, and
include capacity, medication supply issues, variation in services
and a lack of reliable data, which the new expert group will
explore in more detail.
The taskforce will also engage with patients, service providers,
Integrated Care Boards, primary care services, local authorities,
schools, educational providers, and clinical teams - with
findings published later this year.
Taskforce members and terms of reference will be published in the
coming weeks.
The World Health Organisation defines ADHD as being a persistent
pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that has
a direct negative impact on academic, occupational, or social
functioning. Around one in 20 children are estimated to be
impacted by ADHD globally.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “NHS
staff across the country are working hard to ensure all patients
requiring assessments and further support from ADHD
services are seen as promptly as possible.
“We have recognised that that more needs to be done to ensure
people can get a timely diagnosis and importantly, that all of
their needs are addressed.
“This is a hugely complex piece of work and this taskforce
will need to consult a wide range of partner and
experts, to understand more about the issues impacting those
with ADHD and how service provision can be better
joined up to meet people's needs today and in the future.
"This is a vital first step in helping us achieve real
improvements in the ADHD services that the NHS and the
independent sector provides.”
Steve Russell, chief delivery officer
said: “NHS England has begun important work into
investigating challenges in ADHD service provision.
“Using the findings from the initial review, we will improve data
collection to help us understand the scale of the challenge and
work closely with the new cross-sector taskforce to improve
pathways for patients with ADHD."
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins
said: "It is vital that people with ADHD not only
receive a timely assessment and diagnosis, but also the support
they need to live fulfilled lives.
"We're already exploring options to improve data collection and
reporting on assessment waiting times, and this
new taskforce is crucial to support this work to ensure they
get faster, simpler and fairer care.
“A better understanding of the issues facing people with ADHD
will help us across Government and the NHS to address them,
creating solutions over the long term."
Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to
work with stakeholders to:
- develop a national ADHD data improvement plan;
- carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and
commissioning landscape;
- capture examples from local health systems who are trialling
innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and to ensure best
practice is captured and shared across the system.
The NHS Long Term Plan set out an ambitious programme to
transform mental health services, autism and learning disability;
with a particular focus on boosting community services and
reducing the over reliance on inpatient care, with these more
intensive services significantly improved and more effectively
joined up with schools and councils.
