Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of informing parents/guardians of the estimated wait time for an autism or ADHD assessment upon application.

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD and autism assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services, which can be found at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance.

This guidance highlights that, for each integrated care system, the following information should be publicly available and proactively shared across multiple locations, for example, social media and local authority publications, as well as all service provider websites:

- accurate and up-to-date information about the autism assessment offer in each area, including details for services providing autism assessments, such as name, address, contact details, general remit, eligibility criteria, referral process, and documentation; and

- an indication of waiting times for an autism assessment at each service, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/operational-guidance-to-deliver-improved-outcomes-in-all-age-autism-assessment-pathways-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards/#stage-1-identification-and-referral

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October 2025, was explicit that integrated care boards and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for ADHD and autism assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.