Support while you are waiting

NHS England expects commissioners to support people on the list and to signpost local organisations. Whether that exists near you is a question worth asking out loud.

The short version

The Taskforce says providers and integrated care boards must ensure support for those waiting and provide clear signposting.
NHS England says systems can implement a support offer, including voluntary sector provision and peer support.
Waiting lists may also be reviewed so people are on the most appropriate list.
None of this is a national programme, so the offer differs by area.

The assumption behind a waiting list is that nothing happens until your name comes up. Both NHS England and the independent Taskforce have said that assumption is not good enough, which gives you something specific to ask for.

What the Taskforce recommended

Under the heading of improving support to those on waiting lists, part 1 of the report states that health care providers and integrated care boards must ensure support for those waiting and provide clear signposting to local organisations that can provide information and support.

The word must is the Taskforce's, and it is addressed to commissioners and providers rather than to patients. It is still the sentence to quote when asking what exists locally.

What NHS England told systems they could do

The October 2025 advice note says systems can implement a support offer to help patients live well with ADHD, and that this could include voluntary sector provision, peer support options, and comprehensive patient information and signposting.

It also says systems can undertake a review of the waiting list to ensure patients currently waiting wish to continue, and are assigned to the most appropriate waiting list based on any relevant criteria, for example age.

Both of those are described as things systems can do rather than must do, which is why the offer varies so much between neighbouring areas.

How to ask

Ask your GP practice what local support exists for people waiting for an ADHD assessment, and whether the practice can refer or signpost you to it.
Ask your integrated care board the same question, referring to its own published ADHD material if it has any.
Ask your chosen provider whether it offers anything before assessment, since some run information sessions or written material.
Ask whether a waiting-list review is planned, and if so what it is reviewing for.

What this site will not do

It will not list named support organisations for your area, because such a list built centrally would be wrong in most areas and impossible to keep current. The signposting the Taskforce describes is deliberately local, and the people who can do it are your practice and your commissioner.

It also will not describe any of this as a substitute for assessment. Support while waiting is support while waiting, and nothing in either document suggests it shortens the queue.

Questions people ask about this

Is there any help while waiting for an ADHD assessment?

There may be locally. The independent ADHD Taskforce says providers and integrated care boards must ensure support for those waiting and provide clear signposting to local organisations, and NHS England's October 2025 advice says systems can implement a support offer including voluntary sector provision, peer support and patient information. Because these are local decisions, the offer varies, so ask your GP practice and your integrated care board what exists.

Does accepting support while waiting affect my place on the list?

Nothing sourced suggests it does. NHS England describes a support offer and a waiting-list review as separate things, with the review checking that people still wish to continue and are on the most appropriate list. If you are asked to confirm you want to remain on a list, answer it rather than leaving it, since the review is explicitly about who still wishes to continue waiting.