Neurodiversity: Diagnosis
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of expanding the range of qualified healthcare professionals able to carry out neurodevelopmental diagnoses in cases where a patient is already under the care of a clinician with the relevant expertise, but that clinician is not currently permitted to provide a formal diagnosis; what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing suitably qualified clinicians already involved in a patient’s care to undertake ADHD and autism assessments including to help reduce waiting times and to support assessment services; and whether he has had discussions with integrated care boards on enabling appropriately qualified clinicians to carry out neurodevelopmental assessments to increase the level of assessment capacity in (a) Hampshire and (b) nationally.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions on a wide range of matters.
The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD and autism assessments.
Decisions about the range of clinicians able to undertake diagnostic assessments remain governed by professional standards, clinical guidelines, and local service commissioning arrangements, rather a single national Department action or directive.
The Medium Term Planning Framework, published 24 October 2025, was explicit that ICBs and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for ADHD and autism assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published.
In 2023, NHS England published a National Framework and Operational Guidance with respect to the autism assessment pathway. The guidance includes information about the circumstances under which autism diagnostic assessments may take place in mental health settings either in coordination or with the support of the specialist autism team. This may include clinicians who are working in general or specialist mental health, learning disability, or ADHD services and are competent and confident in conducting assessments.
Workforce supply and capacity for neurodevelopmental assessment services are being addressed through a combination of national training offers, local workforce planning by ICBs, and service redesign approaches. These may include multidisciplinary models that optimise the contribution of different professional groups within their existing scopes of practice.
In December 2025, the Government launched an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. These goals and the review’s interim report align with and support the Government’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms, which similarly aim to focus on identifying needs early, and providing early support to prevent needs escalating where possible. This independent review will inform a new approach that reduces waiting times, improves the quality of care, and promotes prevention and early intervention. The final report is due to be published in the summer, and the Government is currently reviewing feedback on the SEND reforms before setting out a response.
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