By staff in NHS — 13 Oct 2025

NHS England - ADHD taskforce 2025 update

In 2024, NHS England launched an independent ADHD Taskforce to tackle the crisis facing adults and children living with ADHD across the UK. With waiting times stretching to 8+ years in some areas and an estimated 2.5 million people affected, this isn't just a policy announcement—it's an urgent response to a broken system that costs the UK economy £17 billion annually in unsupported ADHD.

The ADHD Taskforce: Who's Leading the Charge

Professor Anita Thapar, a child and adolescent psychiatrist from Cardiff University, chairs the taskforce alongside a diverse group of experts:

Experts by Experience: Leaders from ADHD Foundation, ADHD UK, ADHD Babes, parents, and people with lived ADHD experience
Clinical Experts: NHS executives, the Children's Commissioner, Healthwatch England, and Nuffield Trust
Researchers: Academics from Cambridge, Cardiff, Nottingham, Southampton, plus NICE representation

This cross-sector approach means the taskforce isn't just making recommendations from ivory towers—it's grounded in the real challenges facing people waiting years for ADHD support in the UK.

Four Major Shifts Coming to ADHD Services

The taskforce's Part 1 interim report (published June 2025) outlines four headline changes that will reshape how ADHD is diagnosed and managed across England:

1. Cross-Agency Collaboration

ADHD doesn't stop at the GP's door. It affects performance in schools, workplaces, and even justice systems. The taskforce recommends aligning budgets and policies across the Department for Education (DfE), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and NHS England.

What this means for you: Expect better coordination between your child's school, your employer, and NHS services. Schools will be encouraged to provide support without waiting for a formal diagnosis.

2. Prevention and Early Support Without Diagnosis

One of the most groundbreaking recommendations: you don't need a diagnosis to receive help. The taskforce urges schools, workplaces, and local services to provide practical ADHD support based on need alone.

This tackles a major barrier: people currently wait years for assessment while struggling without support. Under the new model, coaching, workplace adjustments, and educational tools should be available while you're on the waiting list.

3. From Specialist-Only to Stepped Community Care

Currently, most ADHD services funnel through overstretched specialist clinics. The taskforce wants to shift this to a "stepped care" model where:

Primary care and community services handle straightforward cases
Specialist clinics focus on complex cases (co-occurring conditions, treatment-resistant ADHD)
Digital tools provide self-help and monitoring

This approach mirrors successful models in recent ADHD research showing that most adults can be managed in general practice once initial diagnosis and titration are complete.

4. Better Data and Digital Tools

For years, nobody could answer basic questions like "How many people are waiting?" or "What are typical wait times by region?" The taskforce is fixing this with:

Quarterly ADHD Management Information (MI): National statistics published every three months
Neurodevelopmental Data Hub: Centralized dashboards tracking waits, referrals, and outcomes
Standardized coding: SNOMED codes to ensure data quality across NHS trusts

The Numbers That Tell the Story

The new ADHD Data Improvement Plan (launched May 2025) has already revealed stark realities:

May 2025 Data Release

2.498 million people in England estimated to have ADHD (3-5% of population)
549,000 people waiting for assessment (as of March 2025)
Wait times: Up to 4+ years for children, 8+ years for adults in some areas

August 2025 Update

2.499 million updated prevalence estimate
668,000 open referrals (as of June 2025)
Includes PsychUK independent sector data for first time

These numbers will sharpen over time as NHS trusts improve data recording, but the scale of unmet need is already clear.

What NHS England Is Telling Local Services Right Now

While long-term reforms take shape, NHS England issued practical operational guidance (October 2025) to reduce immediate risks:

Managing Waiting Lists

Contact everyone on the list to confirm they still want assessment
Segment by age, complexity, and urgency
Ensure people have a safe contact route if their situation deteriorates

Providing Support While Waiting

Signpost to voluntary sector organizations (ADHD UK, ADHD Foundation)
Offer peer support groups
Share digital tools and self-management resources

Using Contract Levers

Invoke NHS Standard Contract Section 42 to ensure commissioned providers deliver planned activity
Hold independent sector providers accountable for throughput

The tone is pragmatic: don't wait for perfect reforms—reduce risk now, and implement taskforce principles incrementally.

What This Means for You (or Your Child)

If You're Currently Waiting

You should start seeing better communication from your local service: confirmation of your place on the list, estimated wait times, and signposting to support while you wait.

Your GP or ICB (Integrated Care Board) should be able to provide practical help—coaching, workplace adjustment letters, school support plans—without you needing to complete the diagnostic pathway first.

If You're Supporting Someone with ADHD

Schools and workplaces are being encouraged to adopt a "needs-led" approach. This means if your child is struggling with focus, organization, or impulse control, they should receive tailored support regardless of diagnostic status.

For adults, this could mean Access to Work grants, reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act, or occupational health interventions—all without waiting years for a psychiatrist appointment.

If You're Already Diagnosed

The shift to stepped care should free up specialist appointments for medication reviews, complex cases, and treatment adjustments. You might see your ongoing care move to a GP with specialist interest or a community ADHD service, with faster access to specialists when needed.

The Bigger Picture: Cross-Government Coordination

The taskforce isn't just reforming healthcare—it's pushing for systemic change across:

Education: Teacher training on ADHD, in-class support, exam adjustments
Employment: DWP support programs, Access to Work expansion, employer education
Justice: Recognizing ADHD in youth offending and prison populations
Housing: Understanding ADHD's impact on tenancy sustainment

This aligns with emerging ADHD science showing that medication alone isn't enough—environmental modifications and systemic support are equally critical.

Timeline: What Happens Next

2025:

Q1-Q4: Quarterly MI publications continue (next release expected October 2025)
Late 2025: Final taskforce report with detailed implementation roadmap

2026:

Technical guidance for ICBs on data standards
Continued quarterly MI with improved granularity
Pilot "single front door" pathways in select regions

Beyond 2026:

National rollout of stepped care models
Specialist hubs established in every ICB
Digital triage and self-management platforms integrated into NHS App

Key Takeaways

Support without diagnosis is now official policy: Schools, employers, and local services should provide practical help based on need alone, not diagnostic status
Waiting lists will get active management: Expect contact from your local service to confirm your referral and provide interim support
Transparency is improving fast: Quarterly national statistics and regional dashboards will track progress and hold services accountable
Specialists will focus on complex cases: Most adults with straightforward ADHD should receive care in primary or community settings
Cross-government approach: ADHD support won't just come from the NHS—expect coordinated action from DfE, DWP, and justice systems
Data quality is a priority: Standardized SNOMED coding and linked datasets will enable evidence-based service planning
This is urgent: The £17 billion annual cost and multi-year waits have forced the system's hand—reforms are moving quickly by NHS standards

Bottom Line

The NHS England ADHD Taskforce represents the most comprehensive attempt to fix a broken system in decades. For the estimated 2.5 million people living with ADHD in England—and the hundreds of thousands currently waiting for assessment—this isn't just bureaucratic shuffling. It's a blueprint for early support, generalist care, and systemic accountability.

The question isn't whether change is coming—it's whether it will come fast enough for the 668,000 people currently on waiting lists.

If you're one of them, here's what to do now: contact your GP or local ICB to confirm your referral status, ask about interim support, and document any deterioration in your mental health or functioning. The new guidance explicitly tells services to provide needs-led support—so hold them to it.