The ADHD grey zone: why patients are stuck between private diagnosis and NHS care

NHS England pays for private assessments under right to choose', but can reject diagnoses and is struggling to cope with demand

Sameer Modha knows the ADHD system all too well. He has been diagnosed himself, as have his two children, giving him a clear view of how the system works - and where it breaks down.

While his own diagnosis was relatively straightforward, the experience with his daughter was very different. The diagnosis he obtained for his eldest child, after an assessment carried out privately by a very senior ex-Camhs [child and adolescent mental health service] director, someone who knows the system and has seen a huge amount of this", was later rejected by the NHS. He was told it was not compliant with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which sets healthcare standards nationally.