Allow patients to be treated for ADHD under Right to Choose under all NHS Health Boards in Wales
Rejected
5 signatures
There is a skyrocketing demand for ADHD assessments in adults and children as awareness about neurodivergence has grown. This growth in demand has not been met with a growth in resources, and so people in Wales are waiting excessive lengths of time to be diagnosed and treated.
Allowing Right to Choose will enable patients who have received a diagnosis from a private clinician that meets the NHS' diagnostic standard to be treated under the NHS whilst they are on the waiting list.
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In Hywel Dda, as of Oct 2025 one patient had been waiting for 8 1/2 years to be assessed for ADHD.
ADH inhibits executive function, causes emotional dysregulation & impulsivity. This can make people prone to reckless, health-damaging behaviour. Statistics show that people with ADHD are more likely to have an eating disorder, be obese, to abuse substances & alcohol, & to attempt or complete taking their own lives.
ADHD is a deeply serious condition that dramatically reduces one's quality and length of life. In a summit paper presented in 2019 by CHADD, the estimate of how many years ADHD takes off of someone's life if untreated was 9-13 years - more than obesity, smoking, coronary heart disease, poor nutrition and alcohol combined.
Waiting lists won't come down soon - allow us to be treated for a condition that the NHS acknowledges that many of us already have in the meantime until we are assessed on the NHS. This is preventative care that will save money & lives down the line.