NHS Bodies in England Impose Two-Year Minimum Wait for ADHD and Autism Assessments

Several National Health Service bodies in England have introduced a minimum two-year waiting period for assessments of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, according to reporting on the policy change.

Four integrated care boards (ICBs), which oversee healthcare planning and commissioning across large regions of England, have taken the step as they struggle to meet what has been described as surging demand for neurodiversity diagnoses. The waiting period means people with suspected ADHD or autism in the affected areas will not be assessed for a minimum of two years after referral.

Patient advocacy groups have criticized the move, describing the delays as "scandalous" and warning that prolonged waits can leave people without access to support, accommodations or treatment that typically follow a formal diagnosis. Long waits for neurodevelopmental assessments have been a recurring concern across the NHS in recent years, as referral numbers have risen sharply.

Integrated care boards are responsible for organizing health services within defined geographic areas of England and have discretion over how they manage resources within their budgets, which has led to variation in waiting times for these assessments across different parts of the country.

The rise in assessment requests has been attributed in part to growing public and clinical awareness of neurodivergent conditions, alongside greater willingness among adults and parents to seek formal diagnoses. NHS services responsible for autism and ADHD assessments have repeatedly flagged capacity constraints as demand has outstripped available specialist staff and appointment slots.

The introduction of a formal two-year minimum wait marks an explicit acknowledgment by the affected ICBs of the scale of the backlog, rather than allowing waiting times to lengthen informally. Patient groups have called for additional investment in assessment services to bring waiting times down, arguing that delays carry consequences for education, employment and mental health support for those awaiting diagnosis.