NHS bodies in England impose two-year minimum wait for ADHD and autism assessments

NHS bodies are forcing people with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism to wait at least two years before they can be assessed as they struggle to meet surging demand for diagnoses of neurodiversity.

Four NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) covering large regions of England have adopted the approach because they cannot afford the cost of the number of assessments that people are seeking.

Patient groups are warning that the “scandalous” delays such policies involve may damage children’s chances of succeeding at school, deny people the help they need to manage their lives, and increase the risk of suicide. The charity ADHD UK denounced minimum waits as “heartless and dangerous”.

In all, 15 ICBs, which between them cover 19 million people, have brought in various ways of rationing assessments for ADHD and autism to try to balance their books. These include limiting the number of assessments the ICBs will pay for in any given year and using “clinical prioritisation” criteria to restrict assessment to those with the most serious signs of neurodiversity.

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Source: The Guardian, 25 September 2026