Adults facing lengthy waits for ADHD assessments

ADHD is a condition that affects people's behaviour, making it harder to concentrate and manage time

Social media and the pandemic could be among reasons behind long waits for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments, a specialist has said.

Figures gathered by the BBC put the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) fifth on an adults' long-wait league table.

Michael Ling, a private ADHD coach who is based near Cambridge, said he knew one person who was told there would be a five-year wait.

CPFT said a "significant increase for ADHD assessments" was a national issue and staff were working to increase capacity.

ADHD is a condition that affects people’s behaviour - making it harder to concentrate and manage time. Acting impulsively and taking risks can also be an issue.

BBC journalists created a national table after making Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts and health boards across the UK.

The investigation showed that nearly 200,000 people were waiting nationally - and how it would take eight years for the NHS to see all adults waiting for assessments in many areas.

Figures show how CPFT has 5,471 adults on an assessment waiting list and carried out 176 assessments last year - they also indicate a 273% increase in referrals between 2019 and 2023.

Statistics put the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in sixth place.

'Waiting lists longer'

“We understand how important it is for people to get the help and support they need, but there’s no doubt that waiting lists are longer than we – or our health system partners – would like," said CPFT in a statement.

“We are working alongside the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System to improve provision, increase assessment capacity and create a clear treatment and support offer.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust says a "significant increase for ADHD assessments" is a national issue

Mr Ling, 35, said he began working as a coach after being diagnosed with ADHD, when living in Suffolk, in 2018, when the waiting list was six months.

He said he knew some who was told the wait would now be five years.

Mr Ling pointed to a rise in the popularity of social media as a possible reason behind an increase in lists.

"I think a lot of it is to do with social media - social media raises awareness," he said.

"People have put a lot of videos on social media about ADHD in recent years.

"It makes people wonder whether they have the symptoms and ask for an assessment."

Pandemic

Mr Ling said he also wondered whether an increase in assessment requests was related to the 2020 pandemic.

"Lots of people went from the safety of having a routine of going into work to working from home," he added

"I suspect one of the consequences was that people really struggled and wondered whether they had ADHD."

One 30-year-old Cambridge teacher, who did not want to be identified, told the BBC that she had been referred for assessment in the summer of 2022 but did not expect to be seen until 2025.