Two-year NHS waiting times reveal system’s struggle with rise in ADHD and autism awareness

NHS assessment bottlenecks have knock-on effects, leading to delays in medical help and lack of access to specialist support

That NHS boards have imposed minimum two-year waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism assessments shows a health service struggling to deal with the consequences of huge changes in understanding of and social attitudes to these conditions.

Sharp rises in referrals for clinical assessments over the past six years mean nearly 1 million people in England are on ADHD waiting lists, with the average wait already over a year (64 weeks). About 295,000 await an autism assessment.