Trust increases ADHD providers to tackle waitlist

An NHS trust said it has multiplied its referral options for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism care to tackle wait times.

Tom Abell, the CEO of the Mid and South Essex NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB), said families were waiting "too long" for assessments and patients have a right to choose an alternative treatment provider.

The ICB has added five new providers for ADHD assessments for adults, and three new providers for autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people and four more will be added in the spring.

Mel said her nine-year-old daughter, Jessica, from Chelmsford, Essex, has been waiting for an ADHD assessment since being referred in October 2022.

Mel spoke to Ben Fryer on BBC Essex and said the past three and a half years has been "up and down".

"It's just quite stressful, [to] keep having to chase up all the time, having no communication at all.

"We're lucky we're in a good family unit where we have supported what [Jessica] needs.

"We just know that certain things that could trigger her, or what she has to do sometimes just to have some quiet time away from everything else."

Mel said helping her daughter had involved lots of communication with her school, which she said "support where they can".

In 2024, a BBC Freedom of Information request to the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust revealed 6,459 people were on the waiting list for ADHD care.

The ICB added that support would also be offered to young people who have been waiting for longer than a year for an assessment, along with those who were currently transitioning to adult services.

One of the clinics added by the ICB to its list of providers is Body and Mind Healthcare Clinic, based in Edgware, north London.

Gaby De Castro Martins, the clinic's managing director, said: "We currently don't have a waiting list.

"So any children and young person, any parents out there in Essex who are waiting for an assessment, who has been on a waiting list for a significant amount of time, they are more than welcome to give us a call."

She said they could talk families through the assessment process before speaking to their GP to make the referral request.

Ms Castro Martins clarified that it could take "up to a month" for patients to receive a diagnosis.

The ICB said it was "sorry" to hear about Mel's situation, but encouraged her to research the new providers and chat through options with her daughter's GP.

Abell added: "Currently many families are waiting too long for autism and ADHD assessment and treatment which we are determined to address."

"The new providers that we have ​commissioned for adults and children's services will give more choice for families requiring assessment and treatment and will help to bring down waiting times."

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