Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards prioritise ADHD and autism assessments for children and young people approaching (a) key educational stages, (b) GCSEs and (c) post-16 transition points.

We recognise that transitions between life stages can be particularly challenging for those who find change difficult, including many autistic people and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and following a recent diagnosis of autism. They make clear that autism assessment provision is needed throughout the lifespan and that ICBs should ensure that people of all ages can access an autism assessment locally.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support. We are pleased that the final report was published on 6 November, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.