ADHD and autism assessment changes could affect 810,000 people waiting for answers

NHS care watchdog The Care Quality Commission is set to inspect unregulated clinics that offer diagnostic assessments for ADHD and autism

Around 810,000 children and adults in England are waiting for an ADHD or autism assessment, as the NHS faces growing pressure from staff shortages.

The situation is becoming more difficult as psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and other specialists appear to be leaving NHS services to work for private clinics.

These clinics have grown rapidly in recent years, offering assessments to people facing long NHS waiting lists.

However, the move towards private healthcare is putting further pressure on NHS services already struggling to cope.

Concerns have also been raised about unregulated private clinics offering ADHD and autism assessments, with some operating outside the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) registration requirements.

Until now, private clinics providing only diagnostic assessments have not been subject to the same regulatory requirements as those offering diagnosis and treatment.

This has raised questions about the quality of some assessments and the risk of people receiving incorrect diagnoses.

Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, said the tighter regulation means ‘people can be confident that assessments are high quality and that the NHS is not being overcharged by independent or private providers’, The Guardian reports.

Thea Stein, the chief executive of the Nuffield Trust and a member of the government’s ADHD taskforce, said: “Some staff stay with the NHS part-time when they get a private-sector job, but many will walk away entirely, leaving the health service in a weaker position and under greater pressure.

“Concerning inequalities will widen further if the NHS can’t keep fully staffed teams or expand them to meet increasing demand for ADHD support.

“If these services continue to haemorrhage staff, some people will get much quicker support if they can afford to pay for private care.”

“We’re increasingly dealing with one ADHD workforce spread across different providers, both in the NHS and private sector,” Rebecca Gray, the director of the alliance’s mental health network, said.

Sean Phillips, the The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) head of policy, added: “While all of IHPN members who deliver ADHD and autism assessments are CQC registered – with 83% rated good or outstanding – we have long called for greater ‘end-to-end’ oversight of neurodevelopmental provision and it’s welcome to see that the CQC have confirmed they will now be regulating all providers of ADHD and autism assessments.”

According to the NHS, adults with ADHD often struggle with organisation, focus, time management, and stress.

While research suggests it can be hereditary, the exact cause of the health condition remains unknown.

The NHS adds that autism 'does not mean you have an illness or disease'. It instead 'means your brain works in a different way from other people'. The health service explains that autism 'is a spectrum', meaning that 'everybody with autism is different'.

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ – family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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