UK ADHD providers ride NHS-funded assessment surge amid misdiagnosis concerns

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UK ADHD NHS-funded assessment surge

Highlights

Care ADHD's revenue surged from £1.9 million to £37.1 million year-on-year, largely funded by NHS, amid rising demand for private ADHD assessment.
A forthcoming review by Peter Fonagy is expected to recommend stricter controls on NHS-funded private ADHD providers due to concerns over misdiagnosis and superficial assessments.
NHS oversight has been weak, with some companies not registered with the Care Quality Commission, while regional boards like Kent and Medway are capping funded assessments after spending increased up to tenfold since 2023-24.

Rapid revenue growth in NHS-funded assessments

As reported by Financial Times, the taxpayer-funded market for private ADHD assessment and treatment is growing quickly, with some companies doubling revenues year on year and others expanding even faster.

London-based Care ADHD, founded two years ago by two former NHS executives, increased revenue from £1.9 million in its first year to £37.1 million in the following year, with most of that income funded by the NHS. The broader rise in private provision comes as more Britons seek ADHD evaluations through the health service's right-to-choose arrangements.

NHS England says about 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, or roughly one in 20 people, but only a third have a diagnosis. The condition can include difficulty concentrating and is associated with higher rates of depression, helping to explain the strong demand for faster assessments outside standard NHS pathways.

Oversight pressures and policy response

The expansion of the private market is also prompting concerns that some assessments are too superficial and may lead to incorrect diagnoses. One clinician says private providers often focus on current symptoms without spending enough time examining alternative explanations for those symptoms.

A review led by clinical psychologist Peter Fonagy, due for publication on Friday, is expected to recommend tighter controls on the NHS-funded private market. It is also expected to conclude that some other conditions are being misdiagnosed as ADHD.

Barny Guthrie, chief executive of mental health company Clinical Partners, says the private sector expanded sharply because the NHS could not meet demand and waiting times reached as long as 10 years in some areas. At the same time, critics say oversight has been weak because companies offering ADHD assessment only do not have to register with the Care Quality Commission.

Holistic ADHD Solutions was suspended from NHS work earlier this year over safety concerns, and the NHS is now restricting access in some areas. Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board is limiting how many assessments it will fund, while spending on ADHD services is reported to have risen sevenfold to tenfold since 2023-24, although full national cost data is not available.

Our earlier article examined the UK debate over how to reshape the state, focusing on whether greater central control from Number 10 speeds up change or instead slows delivery. It argued that devolution and clearer delegation can improve execution by empowering ministers and local actors, rather than concentrating decisions at the centre. The piece also framed these choices against broader pressures on growth, public-sector costs and wellbeing outcomes.

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