NHS bosses warn of chaos in ADHD and autism care

NHS bosses warn of chaos in ADHD and autism care Autism and ADHD services are at risk of descending into chaos as costs spiral out of control and unregulated private providers capitalize on huge demand, NHS leaders say. The NHS Alliance, which represents health‑service managers, describes the current approach as a "bad deal" for patients and taxpayers alike. It notes wide variations in what the NHS is charged for assessments and treatment, citing one local health committee that was paying between £300 and £3,000 for essentially the same service. The Alliance points to a rapid expansion of new providers – both private firms and charities – and says NHS managers are struggling to guarantee the quality and safety of the care being delivered. The government has announced that an independent review of services will be published soon and that it will act on the findings, promising a "new nationalist approach" for autism, ADHD and mental health. Ahead of that review, the NHS Alliance has been collecting information from integrated care boards, which hold the budgets for local services, about the present state of provision. Under the right to choose policy, patients can opt for care from either NHS or non‑NHS autism and ADHD services. The initiative was introduced to help people bypass the long waiting lists that have developed in recent years. The Alliance says the policy has triggered an influx of new providers, which has helped cut some of the longest waits for adults and children, but it has come at a cost. It reports that a number of boards are experiencing sharp rises in spending, describing the situation as "out of control". One board saw its costs increase tenfold in a year, reaching £1.5 million per month. Another board’s annual expenditure jumped from £4 million per year to £30 million over a two‑year period.