In this blog, Health Innovation East Midlands Chief Executive Nicole McGlennon reflects on the success of a former national programme to accelerate ADHD diagnosis, its impact three years after the programme ended, and what it can teach us about adopting, embedding and sustaining innovation in the NHS.

 We are all aware of the challenges facing ADHD services, with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan setting out strategies to reform services by shifting towards early, neighbourhood-based care, reducing lengthy waiting lists and digitising pathways.

During ADHD Awareness Month, I wanted to reflect on our national Focus ADHD programme, which was delivered across England’s 15 Health Innovation Networks from April 2020 to March 2023.

The programme is a great example of what can happen when the right conditions are created for innovation to be adopted and spread. With the right support, innovation can flourish, become embedded in routine practice and deliver sustained benefits for patients and the workforce.

The NHS 10 Year Health Plan recognises the importance of creating these conditions, stating: “We must create the right environment for innovation and the adoption of new technologies and ways of working to improve outcomes for people.”

Focus ADHD used the QbTest, a NICE-approved technology used alongside clinical assessment to support ADHD diagnosis. It can significantly reduce the time taken to reach a diagnosis, enabling faster access to care while releasing valuable clinical capacity.

The programme has established a scalable model for adoption that continues to deliver impact beyond the national rollout. NHS trusts have been able to maintain digital ADHD assessment as part of routine practice, with the benefits continuing to grow.

Between April 2020 and March 2026, the innovation has delivered an estimated £90.4 million in NHS savings, saved 97,599 clinical appointments, released 200,332 hours of healthcare capacity and benefited more than 263,000 patients.

Making transformative change a reality is challenging for those working in the NHS. When teams are managing the pressures of day-to-day care, it can be difficult to create the right conditions for innovation and transformation.

The scale of these impacts – and the fact that they continue to grow year on year - raises an important question: what are the factors that make this possible?

What can we learn from Focus ADHD?

The 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs) have a key role to play in helping make this kind of change happen. We are experts in enabling transformation and work across, and connect, health and care sectors, bringing together local understanding with national expertise.

Since the HINs were established in 2013, we have created a national NHS pipeline that currently features more than 2,000 evidenced innovations responding to local priorities. These include cross-cutting challenges such as tackling health inequalities and reducing waiting lists, alongside clinical priorities such as cardiovascular disease and mental health.

The learning from the Focus ADHD programme is captured in a blueprint, Innovation, Implementation, Readiness and Resourcing, which brings together learning from across the 15 HINs.

This insight is relevant to anyone seeking to develop and successfully implement an innovation or transformation programme within health and care. It focuses on five key areas:

1. Understand the context

• Establish the clinical and operational drivers for change and understand the evidence base.
• Consider how the project aligns with regional and national guidance, strategy and policy.

2. Raise awareness

• Identify the organisations and individuals who will be involved in implementing the programme.
• Develop consistent messaging and communications toolkits to build awareness and understanding.

3. Build will

• Identify the key stakeholders critical to success – not just those who will implement the programme but also champions who can advocate for change.
• Listen to people's experiences of care and make sure patients' voices inform the approach.

4. Support implementation

• Ensure operational and clinical staff are in place to implement – and sustain – the change.
• Keep track of progress and maintain ongoing input from partners.

5. Change behaviour

• Celebrate success, for example through regular updates on positive impacts, to reinforce the benefits of the change and support its sustainability.
• Provide ongoing support through implementation resources and communities of practice, enabling teams to share experiences and learn from positive examples.

These factors helped Focus ADHD move beyond introducing an innovation to embedding a new way of working within NHS services. The continuing impact demonstrates why implementation and sustainability need to be considered from the outset, rather than treated as something that happens once an innovation has been adopted.

I’m also proud to share that Focus ADHD has been shortlisted for Digital Health Innovation of the Year at the Health Tech World Awards.

The awards take place on 28 October 2026. I wish everyone involved in the programme the very best of luck.

Find out more about the Focus ADHD programme and its continuing impact.

Support from the Health Innovation Networks

The Health Innovation Networks can support organisations at every stage of the journey from innovation to impact – from identifying solutions that address local challenges, through to adoption, implementation and spread.

Our expertise, relationships and understanding of local health and care systems mean we can help organisations navigate the practical challenges of implementing innovation and create the conditions for new approaches to become embedded and sustained.

To find out how we can help you, get in touch with your local Health Innovation Network.