Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed national tariff for NHS-funded ADHD and autism services from April 2027 on (a) assessment capacity and (b) waiting times in the Black Country.

The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area, including ADHD and autism assessments.

The Government issued an initial response to Professor Fonagy’s report on the day of publication, including action to strengthen the oversight and regulation of ADHD and autism assessments, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year. The response is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises