Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting list for an assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in the NHS Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust area.

Integrated care systems (ICSs) and National Health Service trusts in Cumbria and Northumberland should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management’ when commissioning services for their local population. While this guideline does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), it includes information aimed at improving diagnosis in adults and children and the quality of care and support received. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local authorities’ children’s social care, education services and expert charities to support neurodivergent children, including children with ADHD and their families, through the diagnostic process. Data on waiting times for an ADHD assessment are not held centrally.