AQW 34247/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 23/10/2025
Answered On Date: 07/11/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, further to the ongoing ADHD needs assessment, to detail any plans his Department has to integrate adult ADHD provision within broader neurodevelopmental and neurodiversity support services, to ensure equitable access to assessment and treatment for adults with ADHD and autism.

Answer:

The needs assessment, commissioned by the Department of Health in early February 2025, which covers both adults and children, will aim to determine the level of demand for a commissioned service, subject to future budget availability. The needs assessment will give recommendations for what such a service might look like, including proposed referral pathways and potential implementation and staffing costs. The needs assessment will take into account linkages between ASD and ADHD where appropriate, in order to ensure equitable access for service users with co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions.

It is planned that the work will be completed by November 2025. Given the importance of this work in informing future ADHD service provision, it is important that sufficient time is given to ensure a robust evidence base and proposals