The NHS is overspending by £164 million a year on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, with an increasing amount going to unregulated private assessments, a Guardian investigation has found. Analysis shows that total spending on NHS ADHD services is expected to be more than double existing budgets, while the amount spent on private providers has more than tripled over three years.
Experts have warned that assessments provided by private companies can be unreliable, pointing to cases in which patients have been harmed by poor continuity of care after private diagnoses. Demand for ADHD assessments has reached record levels as awareness of the condition has increased and NHS services have become increasingly stretched, with more than half a million people now waiting for an assessment.
In November 2025, the NHS-England commissioned ADHD Taskforce report said that the inability to access NHS services has led to a “significant growth in the use of private providers that are not regulated”. The report highlights that there are no enforceable national regulations on how ADHD assessments should be conducted, with “enormous variation” in how guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is interpreted across the NHS and private sector.
Research shared with the Guardian shows spending on ADHD services is estimated to reach £314 million by April 2026, more than double the year’s budget of £150 million. The figures, which cover 32 of England’s 42 integrated care boards (ICBs), raise concerns that other services could face cuts to offset the overspend. Nineteen ICBs also provided data showing spending on private companies had more than tripled in three years, from £16.3 million in 2022-23 to £58 million last year.
The chair of the all-party parliamentary group on ADHD, Jo Platt, said the findings showed services were “at breaking point” and that NHS costs had “soared while private providers profit from poorly regulated systems, leaving too many patients in limbo without proper oversight”. The research by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest found one company had reported profit margins of 33% over the past two years, mainly from providing NHS services. Another 14 companies delivered NHS-funded ADHD assessments without being registered with the Care Quality Commission.
The Guardian has uncovered cases of serious harm caused by problems with continuity of care after a private diagnosis. In January, a coroner issued a prevention of future deaths report on the death of 27-year-old Sheridan Pickett, who died by suicide after receiving an online ADHD diagnosis and taking stimulant medication.
