Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support ADHD awareness initiatives in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where neurodiverse people, including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are supported to thrive.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, with the report expected in the summer. Some of the key priorities that the taskforce is considering as part of its work include: tackling stigma; ensuring people with ADHD are treated with empathy, respect and understanding across society; and increasing awareness of the different ways that ADHD can present.

As part of their local Neurodiversity Transformation Plan, the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) is introducing neurodiversity advisors in schools to help provide support and to develop appropriate reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of neurodivergent children. The ICB is also continuing delivery of the Partnerships for the Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which brings together ICBs, local authorities, and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children and their families.