Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to support increased capacity for adult ADHD assessments in (i) Leeds and (ii) England.

The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD care pathways, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.

The West Yorkshire ICB advises that the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is taking steps to assess and respond to the impact of the suspension of non-urgent referrals. This includes working to redesign the adult ADHD pathway in Leeds and setting up a new care navigator service for people on the waiting list who would like to discuss what support they need and their options under the NHS Choice Framework.

The ICB will be working with the ADHD patient support groups for Leeds and West Yorkshire on what they can do collectively to support patients during the pause to referrals, as well as involving them in the redesign of the local service.

A quality impact assessment and an equality impact assessment have been completed by the LYPFT, which will continue to be updated as the local NHS learns more about the impact of the suspension.