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Extra £3m for ADHD a sticking plaster, charity says

BBC A teenager girl with straight long dark brown hair standing in front of a beige wall BBC
Mali, 16, had to wait two and a half years to be seen for her ADHD

A charity which lobbies for people with ADHD has said extra money from the Welsh government to tackle it is just "a sticking plaster".

The number of young people asking for a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Wales is expected to triple in the next two years.

Ministers have said it could grow to as many as 61,000 by 2027, compared with 27,770 last year.

The first minister said an extra £3m had gone into the system to speed things up.

16-year-old Mai lives with her family in Church Village near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The possibility that she had ADHD was flagged about three years ago, but she has had to wait a long time to be seen - two-and-a-half years.

It is a complex condition, but people with ADHD may act impulsively, seem restless or not be able to concentrate.

Mali said being in school was hard, adding: "I couldn't sit in class for a full hour and concentrate.

"I was here, there, everywhere. My mind goes a hundred miles an hour when someone's talking."

Though she has had a diagnosis, Mali will have to wait until April or May for another assessment before she can be given medication.

Her mother, Natalie, said that was a disgrace.

"I'm really quite angry about it. It really does affect her day to day. Her education's really suffered," she said.

"She wasn't able to concentrate in school, and knowing from speaking with other parents and reading up on it a lot more, the medication would have helped her concentrate."

A white smiling woman with long blonde straight hair wearing a black polka dot blouse
Natalie described her daughter's wait for ADHD medication as a "disgrace"

Ministers have said they expect the number of young people looking for a diagnosis for autism or ADHD to triple, from 20,770 in 2024 to up to 61,000 by 2027.

The First Minister Eluned Morgan told the Senedd on Tuesday: "We're very aware that the waiting times for children's neurological assessments are too long.

"That's why, in November, we announced an additional £3m to speed up those assessments.

"We know that more needs to be done and we know that demand is going through the roof, so we have to think carefully and creatively about how we make these assessments in a different way."

Henry Shelford A smiling man with grey hear wearing a blue shirt sitting on a chair in a sunny gardenHenry Shelford
Chair of ADHD UK Henry Shelford who said "systematic change" is needed to help those with the condition

Charities such as ADHD UK, which support people with ADHD, said the extra £3m would help, but the backlog is massive.

Its chairman, Henry Shelford, said a different approach was needed, and added: "We are a substantial group, so it needs systemic change.

"We need to update the service, so a one-off piece of money, though politically might sound lovely and will be important in moving some people through, just means that once that's spent we've still got the same problem again.

"It is just a sticking plaster."

The Welsh government said that it had invested more than £15m to improve waiting times and neurodivergence services since 2022.

It added its Neurodivergence Ministerial Advisory Group was co-chaired by Professor Anita Thapar, who also sits on NHS England's ADHD programme board.

"The group provide expert advice on ADHD policies, services and patient experience which allows us to share good practice across both governments," a spokesperson added.