"ADHD Referral"

In August 2022 my GP agreed to refer me to the Neurodevelopmental Specialist Service (NeSS) at Highbury Hospital in Nottingham to be assessed for adult ADHD. They did so and my referral was accepted, however it came with a caveat that I could be waiting up to 30 months to be assessed. I had expected this- having done my research about adult ADHD diagnoses- and was content to wait that long. 

In August 2024, after making a quick enquiry to NeSS, the service informed me that they were seeing patients who had referred in June of 2021. When I reached the 30 month mark in February 2025, I reached out to the service again to see if I was any closer. I was once again told they were still assessing patients whose referrals were made in June 2021. I expressed my concern that nothing had changed in six months and feel I  was rudely brushed off by the service.

I complained to the NHS PALS service connected to the trust who oversee NeSS, who responded by saying they get the service to deal with my complaint. That has not happened. It has been weeks and I have yet to hear from the service.

I was happy to wait 30 months for my assessment at the time of referral. However, it is clear that the waiting time is a much longer than they are willing to admit. If one does the math, the waiting list is now closer to 45 months, and this suggests that the service is not fit for purpose. I wish I had been made aware of the true waiting time when my referral was made, and I feel I have been lied to. I would go as far as to say that NeSS cannot be fit for purpose.