NHS Greater Manchester: Adult ADHD Services Consultation Report
This consultation report sets out the feedback from the over 2,500 people who engaged with NHS Greater Manchester in a variety of ways, including: focus groups, community group workshops, online survey, texts, phonecalls, emails, voicenotes, and pop-up stalls across Greater Manchester.
Through the consultation NHS Greater Manchester heard that there is a need for a better, more caring service that supports everyone with ADHD symptoms, regardless of whether they are diagnosed. People want ADHD-friendly services with faster access to triage, diagnosis and more practical help along the way with issues around shared care resolved. They want to be involved in the design of the service to make sure it is competent to support people with neurodiversity.
Healthwatch Bury attended a community workshop hosted by NHS Greater Manchester in May 2025.
Healthwatch Bury raised the following key points:
- There appears to be a gap in care for individuals who age out of child services while waiting for assessment.
- Young adults may face additional barriers if required to restart the referral process in adult services.
- There is a risk that triage may inadvertently gatekeep essential services for those who still need support but may not receive a formal diagnosis.
- The current proposal lacks clarity on how services will be funded and whether budget constraints may limit availability or create unequal access.
We also raised concerns about the lack of holistic consideration for co-morbidities; the lack of clarity on the triage process and criteria which may mean patients don’t understand the decisions and raise concerns about the ability to meet the duty of candour when things go wrong; the alignment with NICE guidelines; the impact on the Right to Choose pathway which is valued by many; the risk of exacerbating existing inequalities; and, the perceived lack of public involvement in the development of the proposals.
Healthwatch Bury recommended:
- Ensure comprehensive assessment of multiple disabilities
- Embed NICE Guidelines and Duty of Candour
- Establish an independent oversight process
- Strengthen equity and accessibility
- Consult Healthwatch and service users early and often
- Reframe and relaunch the consultation process
- Include Healthwatch in service co-design
