ADHD services shutting door to new NHS patients as demand soars, BBC finds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpl150ze4o
Posted by F0urLeafCl0ver
ADHD services shutting door to new NHS patients as demand soars, BBC finds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpl150ze4o
Posted by F0urLeafCl0ver
23 Comments
I’ve been weighing up getting a private diagnosis for some years now, one of those things on the to do list that I’ve not done anything to tick off.
I do wonder though how much of this is really just a normal individual experience to what can otherwise be an unpleasant, disinterested, exploitative world? I definitely struggle with a lot of things, but I really struggle to see how much of this is really a me problem needing to be drugged to get through things outside of my control.
This has been the case for a while. I was referred in January 2022 to the Adult ADHD clinic in my area. The expected waiting time then was 18 months – by April 2023 it had risen to 5 years, then by October 2024 it had risen to 10 years and the service closed to new referrals.
Keep in mind this is 10 years from referral to the first appointment. If diagnosed, medication – which is recognised as the most effective treatment for ADHD – can be at the end of another years-long wait. At which point you have to deal with medication supply issues.
I consider myself lucky for getting on the NHS after waiting for about 5 months. On the contrary, I spoke to a doctor and he said he’s been on the waiting list for 2 and a half years.
The treatment literally turned my life around, even though I’d love to get it treated when im younger
I’ve been on a waiting list for around 4 years and my last letter said it would take around 3 more years.
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Why the fuck do I pay tax towards the NHS?
Recently I have had:
Severe dental problems — NO NHS
Long term ADHD — NO NHS
A broken nose which leans far to the side — NO NHS
Family member had eye infection — NHS Negligence caused a forced removal of her eye
Family member broke her arm — NHS said X-Rays aren’t necessary because they can tell it’s not broken, 2 months later, guess what, it was broken, and it’s healed shitty so it’s being rebroken and left her with nerve pain.
Where is our money going????
Fortunately I had already been under my nearest adhd service(in London 40 miles away) and had my diagnosis of adult adhd and autism established before the service I previously used stopped taking new cases.
Now there’s a long waiting list for other people looking for services in Kent and besides medication for my adhd(which was already prescribed in London and is now continued by my gp)there are no other services available to help me in the near future if I needed any.
It’s disappointing that help is less and less accessible nowadays and I hope to see positive changes soon.
Are there any private alternatives, and what’s the average cost?
Right to Choose has been a lifesaver for me, I had to stay on top of every step of the process to keep it moving, but I managed to go from referral -> diagnosis -> prescribing in about 9 months, with the NHS paying as they should.
Just beware the RTC clinic will try to fob off as much responsibility on your GP as they can, which 99% of GP’s will take exception to, but RTC means the clinic is working on behalf of the NHS, which means the NHS funds every step of the process, which in turn means they’re responsible for everything ultimately.
Even if my GP won’t do shared care, the clinic is obliged to keep filling my prescription until I find a GP that *will* do shared care.
Given that we’re facing a productivity crisis it seems distinctly counterproductive to let this continue. Working in tech I am surrounded with ADHD people and the difference between being treated and untreated is the difference between getting promotions and not even passing your probation.
Existing patients are suffering too I’ve had a diagnosis since 2007 yet I’ve not been able to access my medication since the pandemic as they said I needed a rediagnosis! I can understand a medicine review with the pharmacist I’ve had those for it plenty of times but they are stopping people’s medication abruptly and telling them to join the wait list for an assessment every day now
Well done to the NHS. CAMHs is already at breaking point, the number of people it’s having to deal with for ADHD is ridiculous. Unless ADHD is severely life affecting, in other words the person is rendered completely incapable of studying, working, having relationships etc. they should not be given drugs. It boggles the mind that people have thrived at life and now they are into their 50s, they suddenly they want an ADHD or ASD diagnosis. Stop wasting precious resources on your own ego, go private if a pointless diagnosis is so important to you!
My wifes NHS waiting list is 5 years.
We’ve managed to get a RTC referral though, it sounds like I’ve managed to get her to apply at just the right time
If you want to get seen quickly you need to use “NHS Right to Choose”
I’ve been on the referral list for 5 years. This has made my mind up, I’m going private. Sucks as the NHS has always been so good for when I’ve needed it, they are chronically underfunded in every department though.
There’s a lot of real, genuine and nuanced sentiment here. Expressions of frustration, anger, varying points of view towards the issue.
But I get the feeling there’s a slight mix in of manufactured discontent and contrived opinion, beyond the very really and reasonable frustration people are expressing.
Like there’s the attraction/chamber bias that effects it, but there’s a weirdly high amount of voices echoing stories like getting zero treatment from the NHS, getting misdiagnoses that cause long term damage, old people getting fresh kidneys weekly while young people wait 8 weeks for a prescription. To varying degrees, valid experiences but the presence in the thread feels somewhat exaggerated.
Demand is soaring because the new reliance on extended education, jobs based on sitting in a office and lowering thresholds.
It’s almost certainly not driven by a real increase which isn’t to say the stimulants wouldn’t improve outcomes.
Adhd my whole life ruined my education but i found ways to cope un medicated, self medicated with weed for the majority of my adult life but now sober. The addictive personality can be a charm and a hindrance. Learn passions hobbies, you can channel it. Know its not the golden ticket to a life well lived, but it also isint the end of ones life. If you’re going through it find and it hard to concentrate just keep looking for stiff that sparks the fuse in you and before you know it nothing has actually changed cuz you dont feel the gratification but least you got some new skills.
Why is ADHD getting so much attention while personality disorders are ignored….
Where I live all GP surgeries have withdrawn from all ADHD services. No diagnosis, no prescription services. Even people with a prior diagnosis & prescription have had their supply cut off. The GP has told them that they have to order privately over the Internet.
I know this because I’ve made recient enquires and been told there is currently a 5 year wait for diagnosis with an alternative provider. Two of my friends have had their prescriptions stopped (as the GP no longer offers any ADHD services at all) and told to go privately – one of these friend works for the NHS so they wouldn’t go private if they had any choice.
From what I can tell, there is a very strong Government led pushback against anything to do with ADHD. Similar to the recient pushback against any & all Trans healthcare. It’s feeling as if the next big moral panic that the government is going to be pursue is against ADHD.
Pretty sure my area doesn’t even have adult ADHD services; at least I couldn’t find any. I ended up getting assessed and diagnosed privately.
I’d argue half of the new demand isn’t true ADHD, its kids who are so brain rotted from watching screens all their life they just have no attention span or ability to focus without subway surfers next to them
I’m seeing a lot of NHS blaming here, some of which is reasonable. I will add one of the biggest difficulties we have is we train doctors/nurses to complete ADHD and Autism assessments, which is expensive. And then they go private because it’s such a lucrative business for them. NHS loses qualified professionals, why would you train people who immediately leave the service after?