NHS England mental health services review: what has it found and what does it recommend?
Summary
A 2025 review of NHS England's mental health, ADHD, and autism services warns that demand is growing fast and current services are struggling. The report highlights rising mental distress, increasing ADHD and autism diagnoses, long waiting lists, and calls for better regulation of private providers offering assessments.Key Facts
- Mental health problems like anxiety and depression have increased, especially among young people aged 16-24, rising from 1 in 6 in 1993 to 1 in 4 now.
- Around 4 million children are reported to be in serious mental distress, with numbers expected to rise by 2030.
- Severe mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have stayed about the same over time.
- ADHD diagnosis rates in children and teenagers have increased sharply in recent years, with a sixfold increase in ages 6-11 and a 15-fold increase in ages 12-17.
- There are over 560,000 people waiting for ADHD assessments and over 254,000 waiting for autism assessments in England.
- The report warns of risks from underdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and overdiagnosis as demand for assessments continues to grow.
- NHS spending on independent (private) ADHD services grew by 252% over three years, and private providers did over a third of NHS-funded autism assessments in 2025-26.
- The government plans to regulate all ADHD and autism diagnostic assessments through the Care Quality Commission to ensure quality and control costs.
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