PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs (19 December 2023)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the medication initiation waiting time for people who receive a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Asked by:
Judith Cummins (Labour)

With respect to referral and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), healthcare professionals, commissioners and providers should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG87: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. This guideline, updated in September 2019, aims to improve recognition and diagnosis, as well as the quality of care and support for people with ADHD. The guideline also covers considerations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD.

More specifically, the guideline states that for children aged five years old and over and for adults, medication should be offered if ADHD symptoms are still causing a significant impairment in at least one domain after environmental modifications have been implemented and reviewed. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87

Overall, the decision and timescale for initiating medication should be a clinical decision based on the individual patient.

We are aware of current disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of ADHD. The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.

Answered by:
Maria Caulfield (Conservative)
8 January 2024