Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of NHS England's proposals in the consultation on the 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme to set a £950 guide price for both adult and children and young people's autism assessments, given that children and young people's assessments includes additional components not required for adult assessments.

NHS England was advised by a number of clinicians, policy professionals, commissioners, and providers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnostic assessment services prior to the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme consultation. All National Health Service providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism and ADHD services were invited to an NHS Payment Scheme engagement session in September.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback. This consultation was open to the public, but NHS England specifically reached out to all NHS providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism diagnostic assessment services and ADHD services to ensure they were aware and were able to respond to the NHS Payment Scheme consultation.

NHS England are currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme.