By Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay
Demand for autism services in Kent has rocketed leaving patients waiting seven years for treatment, new papers have revealed.
The number of adults seeking help for neuro-divergent conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has increased 600% in just 30 months.
Kent County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was told on October 2 of the “rapid increase” in demand for autism and ADHD services since 2022 in Kent.
Committee member Cllr Richard Streatfeild said greater recognition of the issue and better diagnosis had led to the massive demand for treatment.
He said: “For example, someone may have once been treated for anxiety alone but now they are taking a deeper look at the root causes.
“The diagnoses have got so much better, particularly for women and girls. The headline figure of 600% is incredible.”
NHS Kent and Medway commissions post-diagnostic services from Kent Community Heath NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) which in turn subcontracts them to companies such as Psicon and Sinclair Strong.
KCC committee papers say that referrals have increased 600% in the past two and half years, reflecting a similar trend across the rest of the country.
‘Services unable to keep up’
The Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (KMICB) reported recently: “Over the last few years, demand for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments in England has risen at such speed that services are unable to keep up.
“This increase in demand is partly due to more widespread awareness of autism and ADHD, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on people’s mental health and wellbeing. In Kent and Medway, some children and adults are waiting many years for an assessment and not getting the support they need. We therefore need to prioritise people with the greatest need when offering appointments.”
Pandemic
KCC papers state that while demand for adult autism and ADHD assessments was expected to grow based on activity levels increasing between 2019 -2021 the increase seen from 2022 was “unexpected and accelerated” by the pandemic.
More than 70% of the demand is related to ADHD assessment and medication initiation and reviews, said the papers.
The papers added: “This has resulted in significant waiting times within the current commissioned pathway for ADHD assessment (up to seven years) and medication reviews (up to two years).
“National prescribing data shows that there has been a significant growth between 2019/20 and 2022/23 for adult prescriptions with the 25-44 age groups seeing the biggest increases in patients being prescribed ADHD medication, with a 146% increase in the 30-34 age group.
“This demand coupled with workforce pressures and NHS financial constraints has placed significant demand on the service.”
The committee was told on October 2 that the “drivers of demand for autism and ADHD services are multifaceted and complex, spanning wider societal and environmental factors”.
The papers added: “We know in Kent that demand has followed the national trend and is strongly influenced by increased public awareness of ADHD along with social and environmental changes that have impacted on people’s lives following the pandemic.”
Review
The KMICB has undertaken a review into the system to discover how and why patients are referred and to support them while they are on the waiting list.
More than 4,100 of those waiting use an app which provides help and stages workshops but the KMICB notes this alone cannot reduce short-term demand.
