ADHD and autism in England: government changes the rules on assessments and promises help without a diagnosis

On 9 October 2026 the Department of Health and Social Care published the findings of the Independent Review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, and set out how support in England will be rebuilt. The review was chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy of University College London, with Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird as vice chairs. The headline conclusion behind every decision: a diagnosis will no longer be the only door through which help can be reached.

What exactly did the government announce on 9 October?

The government promised earlier, needs-led support — available before and without a clinical diagnosis, in schools, colleges and communities. The detail will come in a separate Mental Health Strategy promised in the coming months. Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper has asked NHS leaders to examine urgently how people can access advice, assessments and treatment more easily. This runs alongside a £4 billion package for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Why will a diagnosis no longer be the only route to support?

The review found that mental distress among children and young people has genuinely increased, not merely been recorded more often. The drivers it names include social media, financial insecurity, uncertainty about the future, poorer sleep and a weaker sense of connection and belonging. At the same time, referrals and diagnoses for ADHD and autism have risen sharply while the population-level prevalence of those conditions appears broadly stable. Hence the review's verdict: diagnosis has become a very narrow pathway to any support, and that pathway has to be widened.

One figure shows the cost of the bottleneck. The interim report of Alan Milburn's review of Young People and Work found that among 16 to 25-year-olds not in education, employment or training, 24 per cent cited depression or anxiety as their main limiting condition, 22 per cent autism, and 18 per cent another mental illness.

What changes for private ADHD and autism assessments?

This is the part that matters most to anyone who has paid for an assessment. The government intends to make all diagnostic assessments for ADHD and autism a Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activity. The regulation is meant to cover NHS-funded patients, non-NHS-funded patients and people paying for themselves — so that a report from a private clinic is as checkable as one from the NHS.

Second, the Secretary of State will write to the Advertising Standards Authority about adverts for autism and ADHD services; the review recommended banning direct-to-public advertising of NHS-funded assessments. Third, NHS England will consult on a national set of prices for NHS-funded autism and ADHD services, covering assessment, post-diagnostic support and follow-ups, with finalised payment arrangements intended from April 2027. Fourth, NICE will urgently consider what the report means for its clinical guidance on autism and ADHD.

How long are the waits now, and what is Right to Choose?

The NHS says plainly that waiting times for an ADHD assessment vary and a child may wait several months or several years. A referral is requested through a GP or the school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO). Under the Right to Choose scheme in England you can ask your GP to refer you to a clinic with a shorter waiting list — including a private clinic, provided it delivers ADHD services for the NHS.

ADV · A001ONLYWAY JEWELRY — gold, silver and platinumRings, chains, bracelets, earrings and pendants. Delivery across the UK.Advertise here

Where can you get help now, without waiting for a diagnosis?

For a child, the first step is a conversation with the teacher and the SENCO: classroom and homework support needs no diagnosis at all. Adults struggling with anxiety or low mood can refer themselves to NHS Talking Therapies without going through a GP — you need to be registered with a GP and aged 18 or over, or 16 or over in some areas. For eating disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis, personality disorders or drug and alcohol problems, the referral comes from a GP. If you choose a private therapist, the NHS advises checking that they are registered with a body accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

If help is needed urgently, the NHS has a dedicated page on urgent mental health support, including the round-the-clock NHS 111 mental health option.

When do the new rules take effect?

Nothing announced on 9 October changes how you get help today. The dates to hold on to: the Mental Health Strategy in the coming months; new NHS prices for ADHD and autism services from April 2027; Mental Health Support Teams in every school and college in England by 2029; and NHS Talking Therapies expanded so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029. NHS mental health spending this year is forecast to reach a record £16.1 billion. All of this applies to England — health and education are run separately in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.