ADHD intervention saves the NHS up to £6.5m and supports almost 19,500 young people to receive a faster ADHD diagnosis
The national Focus ADHD programme originated from the East Midlands AHSN in 2017 and was adopted as a national priority for all Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) from 2020. Thanks to the dedication of health and care staff and AHSNs across the country, it is now benefiting many thousands of families nationwide.
It uses an objective computer-based test (QbTest), to measure attention, impulsivity and motor activity all at the same time to support ADHD diagnosis in children. Despite the impact of the pandemic, during the year the programme improved the diagnosis of ADHD for a significant number of six to 18 year old children, and freed up valuable clinical time within the ADHD pathway.
There is no simple test to determine whether a child has ADHD. The process for diagnosing ADHD can include multiple steps and is based on clinical judgement informed by subjective reports from parents, teachers and observation of the patient.
The programme enables NHS mental health trusts and community paediatric services to improve the ADHD assessment process.
In the UK children wait on average at least 18 months from the first appointment to formal diagnosis – this intervention has shown a reduction from assessment to diagnosis by an average of 153 days, and has increased staff capacity by reducing the number of appointments needed to achieve the diagnosis.
In the East Midlands during the last 12 months, 3,900 patients have benefited from the Focus ADHD programme with a potential local saving of £1.3M for the NHS.
