Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Health Services
(asked on 19th September 2023) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for (a) autism and (b) ADHD assessments.
Answered by
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when commissioning services, including assessment services.
On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance will help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for people referred to an autism assessment service. Additionally, in 2023/24, £4.2 million is available to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services.
NHS England publishes data on how many people are waiting for an autism assessment and for how long, which provides useful information nationally and locally to support local areas to improve their performance and to reduce diagnosis waiting times.
NICE guidelines for ADHD diagnosis and management aim to improve the diagnosis of ADHD and the quality of care and support people receive. They do not recommend a maximum waiting time standard from referral for an assessment of ADHD. Data on the number of people on a waiting list for an assessment for ADHD and waiting for a diagnosis is not held centrally but may be held locally by individual NHS trusts. The Department is looking into options for improving data collection and reporting on waiting times for ADHD assessments and diagnoses, to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way and in line with the NICE guidelines. In addition, we are supporting ICBs to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people can get the support they need.