Woman 'let down' by ADHD service temporary closure

Rhianne Hill says she was referred to the Leeds Adult ADHD Service in March 2022

A woman who has been waiting for an ADHD assessment for over two years says she feels "let down" after being told appointments have now been put on hold due to unprecedented demand.

Rhianne Hill was referred to the Leeds Adult ADHD Service in March 2022, but was told this week it was closing to non-urgent referrals while it dealt with a backlog of more than 4,500 patients.

Ms Hill said: "To be waiting and continually waiting, it is really, really hard."

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the service, has apologised and said those already on the list should wait to be contacted.

The service, which paused referrals last Friday, warned that anyone who joined the waiting list now would wait "well over 10 years" to be seen.

The service told people the news of the temporary closure by post in recent days

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.

People are only diagnosed if the symptoms cause at least a moderate impact on their lives.

Ms Hill said with the pause in referrals now put in place, the situation in Leeds was "ludicrous".

"I already was aware there was a waiting time of about two years, but just to read the words, 'well over 10 years to be seen', is just frightening, really.

"When you think you have ADHD - which is all about organisation and struggling with bureaucracy - and then you get these added layers of bureaucracy on top, it's like having a monkey playing cymbals in my brain.

"Trying to keep track of what is going on, and where, is very difficult."

'In limbo'

A BBC investigation carried out in the summer suggested at least 196,000 adults were on waiting lists for ADHD assessment across the UK.

Ms Hill said she now just needed an "answer".

"It might just be: Rhianne, you don’t have ADHD at all, and that’s fine, too. But at the moment I am in limbo and it is so frustrating", she said.

"There are only so many bubble baths you can have for anxiety until you think actually, no, this is a clinical problem and I need some medical help here.

"I have just been patiently trying to jump through hoops, but it has all gone a bit wrong. I have just been a bit let down by the system, I think."

Dr Chris Hosker said he was aware the temporary closure was "painful, distressing and upsetting"

Corinne Hunter, from West Yorkshire ADHD Support Group, said the phone "hasn't stopped ringing" since people were told the news of the temporary closure of the ADHD service at the end of last week.

"You open that envelope and your world falls apart," she said.

"Imagine you have been hanging on and hanging on, and then you get told if you do get help it is going to be in 10 years-plus.

"We are getting a lot of very upset and distressed phone calls from people who just don’t know what to do or where to go."

Ms Hunter also said she feared for the impact on mental health services as people with ADHD who were unsupported were more likely to suffer difficulties.

'Besieged by demand'

Dr Chris Hosker, medical director at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are very aware it is painful, distressing and upsetting for people, but what it does allow us to do is just to take a step back.

"We have a really high quality team who are really just besieged by the demand at the moment."

The trust said it would prioritise patients with the highest clinical need, while it worked with health and care partners to develop a plan.

It had also offered to support patients who might want to seek help elsewhere.

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