AQW 22632/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 14/02/2025
Answered On Date: 03/03/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department is taking to address waiting lists for adult ADHD services in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust.

Answer:

There is currently no commissioned service for Adult ADHD and therefore no staff has been specifically recruited to provide this service. Although there is no commissioned Adult ADHD service Belfast, Northern and Southern Eastern Health and Social Care Trusts provide a level of provision from existing staff complement.

South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) in response to demand, has progressed a small unfunded service for those patients who have transferred with an existing diagnosis and who are prescribed medication and require monitoring as per NICE Guidelines. SEHSCT have advised that the number of staff sessions available for this service varies as it is unfunded and funded work must take priority.

For patients awaiting a diagnostic assessment, the demand for ADHD assessment far outweighs capacity, which is resulting in long waiting times of several years.

SEHSCT receives referrals for Adult Mental Health Services via Mental Health Assessment Centres located in Newtownards, Lisburn and Downpatrick. Individuals, including those with a potential/confirmed co-morbid ADHD diagnosis are offered a mental health assessment and are managed via the adult mental health core care pathway, where appropriate.

Regarding provision of service for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), demand for assessment and diagnosis has grown across Trusts.

All Trusts are committed to work closely and collaboratively with commissioners to develop innovative, cost effective, co-produced, quality, and evidenced based services that can meet the needs of adults with ADHD within Trust areas. This work would include the development of clinical pathways.

The Department is commissioning a research exercise into the current and projected demand with a view to bringing forward recommendations to inform a commissioned ADHD service, subject to future budget availability. The exercise will (amongst other things) seek to establish the prevalence of ADHD (for both children and adults) in Northern Ireland, examine best practice from other jurisdictions and identify challenges and barriers in relation to ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Importantly, it will be expected to make recommendations on what any future commissioned service might look like in terms of, for example, costs, staffing profiles and recommended care pathways.

A research lead has now been identified and work on the research has commenced, with an anticipated completion date of end June 2025.

Any future commissioned service will be subject to both budget availability and evidenced demand, but the research, once completed, will help provide a firm evidence base to inform a future model.