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Found 65 results
  1. Content Article
    More information about "Core Needs project (neurodivergence)"
    Craig Russo outlines the Core Needs School Pilot, a needs-led, school-based early intervention model for young people with neurodevelopmental needs. He describes how embedding clinicians in schools enables rapid, functional assessment and support without waiting for diagnosis, improving outcomes while significantly reducing costs and demand on specialist services. It demonstrates impact and support expansion, highlighting strong value for money, improved access and alignment with national SEND reform principles. The Core Needs provides a clear, practical example of how a needs‑led model can be operationalised at scale within mainstream education, moving beyond theory into delivery. It demonstrates how embedding clinical expertise directly into schools transforms access, shifting support closer to children and young people and enabling real-time assessment, observation and intervention in their everyday environment. This approach not only improves timeliness but strengthens relationships between health, education and families, creating a more joined-up system that is easier to navigate. A key learning point is the power of intervening early with functional, strengths-based support rather than relying on diagnostic thresholds. The model shows that many young people can be effectively supported through a single, well-structured intervention, supported by a period of watchful waiting and clear step-up pathways when required. This has important implications for demand management, demonstrating a credible route to reducing pressure on specialist services while maintaining safe and appropriate escalation. The pilot also highlights the importance of building capability within schools. By working alongside SENCOs and staff, clinicians are not only supporting individual children but leaving a lasting legacy of increased confidence, skills and consistency within the wider workforce. This creates a multiplier effect, where impact extends beyond the initial intervention and contributes to longer-term system resilience. From an operational perspective, the pilot identifies critical enablers of success, including strong multi-agency partnership working, clear referral processes, dedicated workforce capacity and a structured delivery model. It also makes clear the risks of not investing, particularly around increasing demand, widening inequity of access and continued reliance on costly statutory pathways. For decision-makers, the key action is to consider how this model can be embedded as part of the core local offer, rather than as a time-limited pilot. The evidence presented supports scaling through a phased approach, ensuring quality and consistency are maintained while expanding reach. It also prompts a wider reflection on how services can redesign pathways to prioritise early intervention, improve flow and ensure that resources are directed where they have the greatest impact. Overall, this pilot offers a compelling, evidence-informed case for system change, showing not just what should be done differently, but how it can be delivered in practice in a way that is sustainable, equitable and centred on the needs of children and young people. More blogs on the hub from Craig Russo: Partnership working between A&E, the police and custody healthcare
  2. News Article
    Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of children going on to develop autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to an analysis of more than half a million pregnancies. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong and published in the Lancet Psychiatry, analysed data from 37 existing studies that included 600,000 pregnant women who had taken antidepressants, and 25 million women who had no antidepressant use during their pregnancies. Before controlling for key factors such as pre-existing mental health conditions, the analysis found that antidepressant use by the mother during pregnancy was associated with a 35% increased risk of ADHD and a 69% increased risk of autism. However, when controlling for confounding factors such as pre-existing mental health conditions, this risk became non-significant. This means the meta-analysis found no significant link between antidepressant use during pregnancy and a greater risk of autism and ADHD in children, after controlling for the mother’s mental health or other influencing factors such as genetics. Dr Wing-Chung Chang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and lead author of the study, said: “We know many parents-to-be worry about the potential impact of taking medication during pregnancy; our study provides reassuring evidence that commonly used antidepressants do not increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in children. “While all medications carry risks, so too does stopping antidepressants during pregnancy due to an increased risk of relapse. Therefore, for women with moderate-severe depression, doctors and patients must carefully weigh the potential risks and benefits of continuing antidepressant treatment during pregnancy against the potential harms of untreated depression. “Although our study found a small increase in the risk of autism and ADHD in the children of women who had used antidepressants during pregnancy, it also found that this risk disappeared when we accounted for other factors. The increased risk was also seen in the children of fathers who took antidepressants and of mothers with antidepressant use before, but not during, pregnancy. “Together, this suggests that it is not the antidepressants themselves causing an increased risk in autism and ADHD but it is more likely to be due to other factors, including genetic predisposition to conditions such as ADHD, autism, and mental health conditions.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 May 2026
  3. News Article
    Taking acetaminophen – known in the US by the brand name Tylenol – during pregnancy has no effect on later autism diagnoses, according to a sweeping new study from Denmark published on Monday. The Trump administration has targeted Tylenol use in pregnancy as a major cause of autism in children, which appears to have led to a drop in pregnant people taking the pain reliever. Health officials announced in September 2025 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would initiate a label change for acetaminophen, warning of a potential link to autism. Trump cautioned several times against taking the pain reliever during pregnancy. “If you’re pregnant, don’t take Tylenol,” Trump said at a press conference at the time. “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t have your baby take Tylenol.” He said the medication was “not good” and taking Tylenol during pregnancy was associated with “a very increased risk of autism”. Through Denmark’s robust national healthcare system, researchers were able to track more than 1.5 million children ‌born between 1997 and 2022 in the national health registry, including 31,098 children who were exposed to Tylenol in utero. Autism was diagnosed in 1.8% of children who were exposed to Tylenol and 3% of those who weren’t, according to the study, which was published in Jama Pediatrics. A similar 2024 study in Sweden found a marginal link that disappeared after taking siblings into account, suggesting that autism is strongly genetic, which has already been demonstrated in other studies. Tylenol is safe to take during pregnancy and can play a key role in relieving pain and bringing down fevers. Yet after the September announcement, Tylenol orders for pregnant women in emergency rooms dropped by 16% in the initial study period, according to a Lancet study published last month. Health officials’ “words are affecting behavior”, said Jeremy Faust, a co-author of that Lancet study, an emergency physician at Mass General Brigham and a health services researcher at Harvard Medical School. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 April 2026
  4. News Article
    Experts have disputed Wes Streeting’s claim that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overdiagnosed in the UK, saying that if anything, the condition is actually likely to be underdiagnosed. In a paper published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 32 experts including clinicians, academics, and patients warned the main challenge surrounding ADHD is that services “cannot adequately support”. “Alarmist” rhetoric around a fear of overdiagnosis of ADHD could work to “deny” people the care they need, the team said. It comes after health secretary Wes Streeting ordered a review into the diagnosis of mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD. Mr Streeting reportedly tasked leading experts with investigating whether common human emotions have become “over-pathologised”. Professor Chris Hollis, co-author of the study from the University of Nottingham, said: “While the incidence of ADHD diagnosis has increased significantly since 2020—particularly in women and young adults—NHS administrative data in England shows no evidence of overdiagnosis with the rate of ADHD diagnosis remaining below the expected levels of ADHD in the population." He described the recent rise in ADHD diagnosis as a “catch-up” of “many years of under recognition and under diagnosis”. “Hence, rather than ‘overdiagnosis’ the real concern should be the unacceptably long waiting times, sometimes over years, that people experience in the NHS for diagnosis, support and treatment,” he continued. Read full story Source: The Independent, 6 March 2026
  5. News Article
    Waiting lists for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in England are being clogged by patients returning to NHS care after difficulties with private assessments, a trust has warned. The major NHS trust said people referred by GPs to private clinics using health service funding were increasingly asking to be transferred back after care stalled. These include cases where private clinics are able to diagnose ADHD but their assessments do not always comply with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or where providers lack staff with the appropriate qualifications to support continued prescribing. The consequences for patients can be severe. Some are facing prescription costs of more than £200 a month after GPs said they could no longer work with private clinics under shared care agreements. The father of one man whose shared care agreement was withdrawn after three years said: “With no warning, the GP practice announced they would stop prescribing within six months because the provider was ‘out of area’. They’ve referred my son to the local NHS service, MPFT [Midlands partnership university NHS foundation trust], but waiting times exceed six months – guaranteeing a treatment gap. “My son holds down a responsible job and has bought his own home. None of this would have been possible without medication. Without it, he struggles to focus at work, can’t manage daily organisation and experiences overwhelming anxiety. His consultant has warned of ‘predictable harms’ if treatment stops.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 January 2026
  6. News Article
    The proportion of people in the UK on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication has tripled in the past decade, with a 20-fold increase among women aged 25 and over, a study shows. Researchers led by the University of Oxford examined electronic health records from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK to estimate the use of ADHD medication among adults and children aged three and above. Prevalence increased across all five countries between 2010 and 2023, according to the research. The UK had the highest relative increase for all ages, rising more than threefold from 0.12% to 0.39%. In the Netherlands, prevalence more than doubled, from 0.67% to 1.56%. Adult use increased substantially in all countries, particularly among women. In the UK, prevalence among people aged 25 and over increased from 0.01% in 2010 to 0.20% in 2023, with a more than 20-fold increase in women and 15-fold in men. Although ADHD medication use remained higher among males, the sex gap in treatment narrowed over time and with increasing age, the researchers said. “We observed a consistent increase in ADHD medication use across Europe, but the most striking changes were among adults, especially women,” said Xintong Li, the lead study author at Oxford. “These findings likely reflect growing awareness and diagnosis of adult ADHD, but they also raise important questions about long-term treatment patterns and care needs.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 January 2026
  7. Content Article
    Concerns have emerged about the impact of paracetamol use in pregnancy on child neurodevelopment, particularly in relation to autism spectrum disorder. This study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health journal aimed to synthesise available evidence to investigate associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability. The current evidence does not indicate a clinically important increase in the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children of pregnant individuals who use paracetamol as directed, supporting existing recommendations on its safety.
  8. News Article
    When Leigh White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who “won five scholarships at 11” including a coveted place at Bancroft’s, a private school in London. He was, she said, “super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind”. Ryan killed himself on 12 May 2024. A report written after his death acknowledged significant shortcomings in the support he received while seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Ryan had followed the “right to choose” pathway, whereby patients can pick a private provider anywhere in the country for assessment, diagnosis and initial treatment. They then ask their GP to enter a shared-care agreement for prescriptions and monitoring. However, Ryan struggled to get the two services to link up. The problem lies in the fact that shared care is voluntary and not all GPs agree to it. Some patients told the Guardian their doctor had rejected their private diagnosis on the grounds that it did not meet their standards. This was even after the NHS had paid for it – and despite there being no official rules for private providers to follow. Some, like Ryan, end up stuck in administrative limbo. Ryan is one of many people who have been failed by the right to choose system. Psychologists and psychiatrists who spoke to the Guardian shared their concerns that allowing NHS patients to obtain ADHD assessments at private providers was “premature” and had led to a “wild west”. Right to choose was introduced for mental healthcare and neurodevelopmental care in 2018, in part to ease pressure on waiting lists that were up to a decade long. But Marios Adamou, a consultant psychiatrist and founder of the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN), said this had come too soon, because “there was no standard in what good assessment looks like and there’s still no standard for what a qualified assessor would look like”. Right to choose was “poorly regulated, poorly managed and some people are making lots of money out of it”, Adamou said, adding: “If you don’t have regulation for that you are inviting a wild west.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 January 2026
  9. News Article
    The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has ordered a clinical review of the diagnosis of mental health conditions, according to reports. Streeting is understood to be concerned about a sharp rise in the number of people making sickness benefits claims because of diagnoses for mental illness, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the Times reported. He has asked leading experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become “over-pathologised”, the newspaper said, as he seeks to grapple with the 4.4 million working-age people now claiming sickness or incapacity benefit. The figure has risen by 1.2 million since 2019, while the number of 16 to 34-year-olds off work with long-term sickness because of a mental health condition is said to have grown rapidly in the same period. Read full article. Source: The Guardian, 3 December 2025
  10. Content Article
    Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is one of the most commonly used drugs in pregnancy worldwide. It is the recommended treatment for pain relief and fever in pregnancy. In September 2025, the US president advised against using Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy, citing risks of autism in children exposed to the drug in utero. The announcement caused considerable concern among pregnant women and mothers of children with autism. Worldwide, regulatory health agencies and expert bodies, such as the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the European Medicines Agency, and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, responded with reassurance about the safety of paracetamol use during pregnancy. This systematic review aimed to assess the quality, biases, and validity of evidence on maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (referred to as autism) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring. It concluded that there is no existing evidence does not clearly link maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring.
  11. News Article
    A wide-ranging review into paracetamol use by pregnant women has found no convincing link between the common painkiller and the chances of children being diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Publication of the work was fast-tracked to provide prospective mothers and their doctors with reliable information after the Trump administration urged pregnant women to avoid paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen or Tylenol – claiming it was contributing to rising rates of autism. Speaking at the White House in September, the US president said women should talk to their doctor about limiting the use of the painkiller while pregnant and followed up with far stronger language, telling women to “fight like hell” not to take it. While rates of autism have risen in recent decades, many scientists believe the trend is driven by greater awareness, improvements in diagnosis and a substantial broadening of the criteria doctors use to describe the condition. In an umbrella review published in the British Medical Journal on Monday, researchers analysed previously published scientific reviews on whether paracetamol raised the likelihood of pregnant women having children who are diagnosed with autism or ADHD. They concluded the quality of the reviews ranged from “low to critically low”, while any apparent link between the painkiller and autism was probably explained by family genetics and other factors. Prof Shakila Thangaratinam, a consultant obstetrician and senior author on the review at the University of Liverpool, said: “Women should know that the existing evidence does not really support a link between paracetamol and autism and ADHD. “If pregnant women need to take paracetamol for fever or pain then we would say please do, particularly because high fever in pregnancy could be dangerous to the unborn baby.” Alternative painkillers such as ibuprofen are not recommended during pregnancy. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 November 2025
  12. News Article
    Specialist ADHD services for adults in England are stopping taking on new patients as they struggle to cope with demand, a BBC investigation has shown. The BBC has identified 15 local areas that have closed waiting lists and another 31 that have introduced tighter criteria, making it more difficult to access support. Reacting to our investigation, Prof Anita Thapar, chair of NHS England's ADHD taskforce, said the findings were "disturbing", adding there were "enormous risks" for patients. It comes as she publishes her report into the state of ADHD services on Thursday, which recommends an overhaul of the way people are supported. ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - affects the way the brain works and can cause people to act impulsively and become easily distracted. The taskforce report said it was being under-diagnosed and under-treated and calls for more joint-working across health, education and the criminal justice system to identify people with ADHD. It said this would require staff to get training and for community NHS staff, such as GPs and pharmacists, to get more involved in supporting people with ADHD. Currently, specialist services take responsibility for this. Read full story Source: BBC News, 6 November 2025
  13. Content Article
    The independent ADHD Taskforce was commissioned by NHS England in 2024, as part of a series of measures to address concerns about timely access to diagnosis and support, and the impact of unsupported ADHD on individuals, services and the wider economy. This brief summary of the Part 2 recommendations needs to be read with Part 1 of the ADHD Taskforce report. Transformation for ADHD requires systemic changes at national, regional and local level. This includes government departments, health, education, employment and the criminal justice system. Co-design and co-production of transformation should include people with ADHD and their families/carers. A combination of (a) upstream, preventative and early support strategies, (b) cross-sector changes and (c) downstream changes to ADHD service commissioning and provision is required. Early years support needs to encompass family outreach and evidence-based parenting interventions appropriate for ADHD/neurodivergence. School interventions must be expanded to include ADHD/neurodivergence to improve ADHD outcomes delivered via mental health support teams (MHSTs) and Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programmes. School and education policies and practice need to enable children with ADHD to thrive. Schools require direct links with ADHD health service providers. Adolescents and young adults (ages 11–24 years) have been shown to be an especially high-risk group. Needs-led, cross-sector integrated youth services for this age group have been effective in other countries. Expand existing workforce skills in health, education, relevant sectors of employment and the criminal justice system to better recognise and support people with ADHD based on their needs without waiting for a diagnosis. Introduce more transparent and clear regulation of ADHD service providers as well as auditable quality control for commissioners. There is an urgent need for NHS England/DHSC to collaborate with NICE to explicitly define what is meant by an appropriately ADHD qualified healthcare professional. Ensure access to clinical services is equitable, including for marginalised sectors of the population and those in the criminal justice system. ADHD care should be seamless. Urgently reduce ADHD wait times and require the same standards for these wait times as those for physical health given the costs and risks of ADHD as well as for reasons of equity. Different models of care need to be introduced urgently. The implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan for England needs to ensure ADHD is a priority given its costs, impacts and historical neglect despite the availability of effective treatments. This includes digitisation and embedding ADHD assessment and care within neighbourhood health centres with expanded roles for practitioners within primary care.
  14. Content Article
    Research by the Children’s Commissioner shows around 400,000 children in England were still waiting at the end of 2022-23 to receive their first appointment after being referred to Community Health Services and Children’s Mental Health Services. This is equivalent to around 3% of England’s total child population.  Unlike adults, children with neurodevelopmental conditions are assessed in both Community Health and Mental Health Services – meaning using existing national data, it is impossible to answer how long children are waiting for diagnosis with neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD and autism in England.   This report uses the Children’s Commissioner’s legislative powers to draw on unpublished data on neurodevelopmental condition diagnoses from NHS England to provide a novel and more joined up national picture of children’s waiting times across both mental health and Community Health Services. Data is taken from the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. 
  15. News Article
    NHS-funded access to private autism and ADHD services is “unsustainable” and “up to three times more expensive than our local provision”, according to an integrated care board’s review. Northamptonshire ICB found the use of independent providers under “right to choose” rules for diagnosis and treatment of autism and ADHD was expected to cost it £3m in 2024-25, according to the document obtained by HSJ. This represents an additional 66% on top of its £4.5m budget for its commissioned autism and ADHD services. Extremely long waits, rocketing demand, and a growing market nationally have seen a big rise in people exercising choice rules, which require commissioners to pay for treatment if a provider has a contract with at least one other ICB. In its review of community paediatric services, the ICB said its spending growth on the independent sector is “unsustainable” as “costs are up to three times more expensive than our local provision”. NHS funding of the same services is effectively capped as they are on “block” contracts. The review was completed in December and recently released after a Freedom of Information request. Government has deprioritised tackling long waits for these services, but NHS England last year launched a national taskforce on the issue. The ICB’s review warned any “national solution will almost certainly involve greater use of the independent provider market”, which it said was less cost-effective than its commissioned services. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 May 2025
  16. News Article
    The benefits of taking drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outweigh the impact of increases in blood pressure and heart rate, according to a new study. An international team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Southampton found the majority of children taking ADHD medication experienced small increases in blood pressure and pulse rates, but that the drugs had “overall small effects”. They said the study’s findings highlighted the need for “careful monitoring”. Prof Samuele Cortese, the senior lead author of the study, from the University of Southampton, said the risks and benefits of taking any medication had to be assessed together, but for ADHD drugs the risk-benefit ratio was “reassuring”. “We found an overall small increase in blood pressure and pulse for the majority of children taking ADHD medications,” he said. “Other studies show clear benefits in terms of reductions in mortality risk and improvement in academic functions, as well as a small increased risk of hypertension, but not other cardiovascular diseases. Overall, the risk-benefit ratio is reassuring for people taking ADHD medications.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 April 2025
  17. News Article
    Less than half of the claims made about symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the most popular videos on TikTok align with clinical guidelines, a new study has found. Two clinical psychologists with expertise in ADHD also found that the more ADHD-related TikTok content a young adult consumes, the more likely they are to overestimate both the prevalence and severity of symptoms in the general population. People with ADHD are known to suffer inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity – and may struggle to concentrate on a given task, or suffer extreme fidgeting. Prescriptions for drugs for ADHD have jumped 18% year-on-year in England since the pandemic, which underscores the need for accurate and reliable information, particularly on platforms popular with young people. In this latest study, published in the journal Plos One, the two psychologists evaluated the accuracy, nuance, and overall quality in the top 100 #ADHD videos on TikTok. They found the videos have immense popularity (collectively amassing nearly half a billion views), but fewer than 50 per cent of the claims made were robust. Read full story Source: The Independent, 31 March 2025
  18. News Article
    Prescriptions for drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have jumped 18% year-on-year since the pandemic, research suggests. Experts said increasing awareness of ADHD, including via social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, is likely to have encouraged more people to seek diagnosis and treatment for the condition. However, they warned that “misinformation on these platforms may lead to misconceptions about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment”. Another reason behind the rise could be the “strong association between the impact of the (Covid) pandemic and the worsening of ADHD symptoms”, they said. Dr Ulrich Muller-Sedgwick, ADHD champion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said people with ADHD need access to timely and effective assessment, “followed by the appropriate treatment”. He added: “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people coming forward for ADHD support in recent years. “There are many reasons for this, including improved recognition of ADHD in women, greater public awareness and the impacts of the pandemic which exacerbated many people’s symptoms. “The right diagnosis and care, including medication and reasonable adjustments, can greatly benefit people’s health and support them to reach their full potential at school, university or work. “We know that expanding ADHD services through targeted investment would help ensure people receive the vital care they need.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 March 2025
  19. News Article
    Disjointed, delayed, and substandard care for people with both mental illness and additional needs are highlighted throughout reports sent to integrated care boards on the deaths of 24 people, HSJ has found. A lack of inpatient beds, poor communication, staff shortages, and care fragmentation were common concerns raised with 18 ICBs in relation to 24 deaths linked to mental health care since the boards’ creation in July 2022, HSJ analysis reveals. Of a total of 53 “prevention of future death reports” addressed to ICBs, 24 focused primarily on mental health – the most common theme of the reports. Many of those who died were young, and many had additional needs, such as autism, ADHD or learning disabilities. They often endured long delays because of poorly-connected physical and mental health services. Some were refused multiple referrals because of the complexity of their needs. Twenty-two of the 24 deaths were from suicide or self-harm. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 January 2025
  20. Content Article
    There are supply disruptions affecting various strengths of the following medications which are licensed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): methylphenidate (Equasym® XL) capsules, methylphenidate (Xaggitin XL® , Concerta XL® , Xenidate XL® ) prolonged-release tablets, lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse® ) capsules, and guanfacine (Intuniv® ) prolonged-release tablets. This is a safety critical and complex National Patient Safety Alert. Implementation should be co-ordinated by an executive lead (or equivalent role in organisations without executive boards) and supported by clinical leaders in pharmacy, community pharmacy, GP practices, mental health services and those working in the health and justice sector. Prescribers should: 1. not initiate new patients on products affected by this shortage until the supply issues resolve. Healthcare professionals in primary care (and secondary care if appropriate) should: 2. identify all patients currently prescribed these products, and 3. make early contact with patients to establish how much supply they have remaining. Where patients have insufficient supplies to last until the re-supply date, contact: 4. community pharmacies, hospital pharmacy departments, or other dispensing pharmacy services, to establish availability of supply; and 5. patient’s specialist team for advice on management options if the product cannot be sourced. Specialist teams should: 6. support primary care teams seeking advice for patients currently prescribed the affected products, 7. provide individualised management plans, where required; and 8. recommend alternatives in line with NICE guidance, where appropriate.
  21. News Article
    No senior NHS England director is prepared to take responsibility for ADHD services — which are facing waits of up to a decade and severe medication shortages — HSJ has discovered. Despite soaring demand for assessments and widespread drug shortages recently triggering a national patient safety alert, responsibility for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder services does not sit within any NHS England directorate. HSJ understands that none of NHSE’s mental health, learning disability, or autism programmes have been given any resources for ADHD. It is also claimed that the medical and long-term conditions teams “are not very interested” in taking responsibility, and “assumed someone else was doing it”. A senior source, very close to the issue, told HSJ that no NHS senior director had taken “ownership” of the issue, and there was a widespread misapprehension that responsibility for ADHD services was part of the autism remit given to the mental health directorate. “We haven’t got the attention we need around ADHD,” said the source, “we need a [dedicated] neurodiversity programme.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 26 October 2023
  22. News Article
    Children are not being over-diagnosed with ADHD despite concerns about a spike in prescriptions of powerful stimulant drugs, a leading psychiatrist has said. NHS statistics show 125,000 children and teenagers in England are taking drugs such as Ritalin for symptoms such as poor concentration, up by a quarter since before the Covid pandemic. Isobel Heyman, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and lead for child mental health at Cambridge Children’s Hospital, said that on the whole ADHD remained “under-treated” and that this was driving high levels of mental illness in young people. Speaking to the Times Health Commission, Heyman said: “My understanding is that the increase in prescribing is largely related to increased diagnosis and increased recognition … We are still overall slightly under-treating [rather] than over-treating. “There is a problem about over-medicalisation of ordinary distress, ordinary ebullience and over-enthusiasm in young people.” She said the public should be reassured that ADHD diagnoses follow a “very stringent” process. However, she said private adult ADHD clinics may be less “rigorous” in providing a diagnosis. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 18 October 2023 Further reading: Long waits for ADHD diagnosis and treatment are a patient safety issue
  23. News Article
    ADHD patients around the UK are finding they can't get hold of medication since a national shortage was announced. Three different medicines are affected, and the government says some supply issues could last until December. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) says "increased global demand and manufacturing issues" are behind the shortages. Medication helps to manage symptoms, which can include difficulty concentrating and focusing, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Dr Saadia Arshad, a consultant psychiatrist, who specialises in diagnosing and treating people with ADHD. She says the shortage of medication is "not a new issue, but it's a recurring one". Dr Saadia says suddenly stopping meds can lead to patients "feeling jittery, finding it difficult to pay attention, staying focused and feeling restless". Even though she understands the shortage can be worrying, Dr Saadia says it's important that people don't take measures into their own hands. "These medicines can be quite potent and the response to medication for two individuals is not the same," she says. "So please do not take any action without discussing it with your clinician." Read full story Source: BBC News, 6 October 2023
  24. News Article
    Prescribers should not start any new patients on some ADHD medicines because of a national shortage, the Department for Health and Social Care has warned. GPs are also being asked to identify and contact all patients currently prescribed the medicines to ensure they have supplies to last. A national patient safety alert said there were ‘supply disruptions’ of various strengths of methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine and guanfacine. It follows a previous alert about shortages of atomoxetine capsules in August which is set to resolve next month, DHSC said. The shortages are due to a combination of manufacturing issues and an increased global demand, the alert explained. With the latest issues expected to continue to December for some medicines, new patients should not be started on the products affected by shortages until the supply issue resolves, the guidance sent to healthcare professionals said. Where patients do not have enough to last until the re-supply date – which differs depending on the medicine in question – GPs are being asked to contact pharmacies to find out about stocks and reach out to the patient’s specialist team for advice if a product cannot be sourced. Read full story Source: Pulse, 28 September 2023
  25. News Article
    Adults across an integrated care system area are facing ‘unacceptable’ 10-year waits for an NHS assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the longest known wait for such services in England. Herefordshire and Worcestershire integrated care board has warned in board papers of “exceptionally high waiting times for ADHD assessment and treatment for Worcestershire patients (10 years+), with workforce challenges and service fragility compromising service delivery”. HSJ understands the long waits for ADHD diagnosis, which is a national problem, is predominately affecting adults with approximately 2,000 people on Herefordshire and Worcestershire’s ADHD list alone. Local provider Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust also warned on its website that its paediatric services were also “experiencing unprecedented demand”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 July 2023

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