(UK) NHS reports ADHD spending running $220M deficit
- The end of childhood
- Jan 14
- 2 min read
Jan 12, 2026, Guardian: NHS ADHD spending over budget by £164m as unregulated clinics boom
The NHS is overspending by £164m [$220M] a year on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, with an increasing amount going to unregulated private assessments, a Guardian investigation has found.
Analysis shows that total spending on NHS ADHD services is expected to be more than double existing budgets. Further data shows the amount spent on private ADHD services has more than tripled over three years.
Experts have warned that assessments provided by private providers can be unreliable, pointing to cases in which patients have been harmed by poor continuity of care after private diagnoses.
Also, while individual clinicians may be overseen by professional bodies, there is no enforceable national regulation on how ADHD assessments should be conducted. Guidance from bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is advisory rather than regulatory. The Care Quality Commission has no standard for what an assessor’s training should include and services only need to register if prescribing.
Demand for ADHD assessments has reached record levels as awareness of the condition has increased and NHS services have become increasingly stretched, with more than half a million people now waiting for an assessment.
Last month the health secretary, Wes Streeting, announced a review into the diagnosis of mental health conditions, ADHD and autism amid concern over the numbers of people with such conditions claiming sickness benefits.
Research shared with the Guardian shows spending on ADHD services is estimated to reach £314m [$422M][ by April 2026, more than double the year’s budget of £150m [$201M] set aside for this area of healthcare.
The figures, which cover 32 of England’s 42 integrated care boards (ICBs), raise concerns that other services could face cuts to offset the £164m [$220M] overspend.
Nineteen ICBs also provided data on how much of their ADHD budget went on private companies, showing the NHS’s increasing reliance on outsourcing. It showed spending had more than tripled in three years, from £16.3m in 2022-23 to £58m last year. This has prompted concern that companies are making millions from what critics say is an under-regulated market.
Due to how the data is collected, it could include some spending for other neurodiversity conditions as well as ADHD. . . .
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