Adults with ADHD are set to receive more timely NHS support closer to home as part of a programme being evaluated in several regions of England.
The first phase of the Health Innovation Network’s Neurodiversity Transformation Programme focuses on testing and evaluating a new service model for adult ADHD.
The programme is led by Health Innovation North West Coast, and includes a key focus on digital innovation which is led by Health Innovation East Midlands who have developed a Digital for Neurodiversity platform.
The programme addresses a growing national challenge: demand for adult ADHD assessment has risen far faster than NHS capacity, contributing to long waiting lists, rising costs and inequitable access to care. Up to 572,000 adults could currently be waiting for an ADHD assessment in England, according to NHS England’s Mental Health Data Set.
The ADHD taskforce reported in 2025 that the wider cost of untreated ADHD is £17bn a year because of links to poorer outcomes in education, employment and mental health, and contact with the criminal justice system.
The initiative introduces a primary care-based service that features a new specialist workforce, a needs-led approach to care, and digital innovation. It aims to reduce pressure on specialist services and improve access for people who often face long waits for assessment and support.
The programme also aims to reduce costs incurred by non-contract activity. It is estimated these costs could rise to as much as £103m for one ICB where the model is being implemented.
Health Innovation North West Coast led the co-design of the model over an 18-month period with people with experience of ADHD, clinicians, commissioners and system partners, before it was adopted by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.
Health Innovation North West Coast has continued to support its implementation in Cheshire and Merseyside and now leads a national test and evaluation programme across five regions of England.
Using resources developed by Health Innovation North West Coast, Health Innovation West of England, Health Innovation East Midlands, Health Innovation Manchester and Health Innovation South West are working with their systems to implement the new model. This covers a combined population of around 20 million people.
The programme has already engaged with 19 integrated care boards (ICBs) and is supporting implementation in 10 ICBs.
Features of the model include:
- use of online self-care resources and digital self-assessments
- a new neurodevelopmental practitioner (NDP) role to work alongside GPs with an extended role (GPwERs) in ADHD
- needs-led community interventions to support people in their own neighbourhood
- improved digital systems to support information-sharing across services
- annual reviews and diagnostic assessments available in primary care.
Charlotte Hall, Head of the Neurodiversity Transformation Programme, said: “Too many people have had to wait too long for support, while pressure on services continues to grow.
“What is so powerful about this programme is that it starts with the person.
“By understanding people’s needs earlier, we can help them access the right support sooner, closer to home.
“This approach offers a practical way to redeploy existing resources, improve outcomes for patients and reduce pressure on specialist services.”
Learning from the Cheshire and Merseyside implementation is being used to accelerate adoption in the areas covered by the programme.
An independent evaluation is also being undertaken as part of the programme. It will combine quantitative and qualitative evidence to assess access, service delivery, workforce outcomes, value for money, and sustainability.
The evaluation will explore how context influences implementation and outcomes, helping to identify where the model adds value, the conditions that support successful implementation, and how it can be effectively embedded and scaled.
Health Innovation East Midlands is leading the digital element of the programme to improve support for people with ADHD and wider neurodiversity needs. This has included:
- connecting with innovators and researchers: identifying more than 100 innovators working in this field
- assessing the readiness of their innovations and opportunities to further develop or deploy them
- gathering insight from people with lived experience, clinicians, commissioners and healthcare professionals to inform meaningful development of innovations
- showcasing digital solutions to healthcare organisations through Health Innovation East Midlands’ Innovation Exchange webinar and through its Digital for Neurodiversity platform, bringing key information together in one place.
- supporting implementation of digital tools into neurodiversity pathways and implementation learning.
Tracey Jackman, Head of Innovation Programme Delivery at Health Innovation East Midlands, said: “There is no single solution to the challenges facing ADHD services, but digital innovation can be an important part of the answer.
“By helping our systems identify and adopt proven technologies, we have an opportunity to improve access to support, make services more efficient and ultimately help more people get the care they need when they need it.”
Read more on the Health Innovation Network website: https://thehealthinnovationnetwork.co.uk/programmes/local-implementation/neurodiversity-transformation-programme/
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