Adults
376
adults waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 4 years.
30th longest of 35 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 12 years.
NHS area · Scotland
ADHD assessment in NHS Shetland
Figures come from our own Freedom of Information requests. Last updated 17 July 2026.
At a glance
Children and young people
5
children and young people waiting for an assessment
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 31 weeks.
33rd longest of 38 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 2.7 years.
Right to Choose
England only
Right to Choose does not apply in Scotland. Your GP refers you to your local NHS service.
We know of 1 restriction affecting access here. See details
How NHS Shetland compares with other areas
Each dot is one NHS area. Further right means a longer wait at the current pace.
Middle of all areas: 12 yearsThis area: about 4 years
010 yrs20 yrs30 yrs40 yrs50 yrs60 yrs70+ yrs
Middle of all areas: 2.7 yearsThis area: about 31 weeks
04 yrs8 yrs12 yrs16+ yrs
What does "at the current pace" mean?
We divide the number of people waiting by the number of assessments the service did in the last year. It shows how long someone joining the list today could wait if nothing changes. It is an estimate, not a promise: services can speed up, and some people are seen sooner because of urgency. The NHS standard for non-urgent care is 18 weeks.
Local NHS services
The NHS services that assess people here, with their latest figures.
376 adults waiting across the whole area, according to the NHS Shetland (31 March 2026).
What they told us
NHS Shetland FOI/1734 (response 17 Jul 2026, FOISA): 376 adults on the ADHD waiting list as at end of May 2026; 86 adults assessed in FY2025/26 -> derived effective wait ~4.4 years (376/86). Board states the ADHD pathway has 'a lengthy wait of several years for new referrals ... due to high demand and limited resource'. Pathway: GP screens and refers if appropriate -> patient added to wait list -> initial assessment by Consultant Psychiatrist -> medication monitoring in a nurse-led clinic where appropriate.
We don't have figures from individual NHS services here yet.
5 children and young people waiting across the whole area, according to the NHS Shetland (31 March 2026).
What they told us
NHS Shetland FOI/1734 (response 17 Jul 2026, FOISA): 5 children on the ADHD waiting list; 8 children assessed in FY2025/26 -> derived effective wait ~0.6 years (5/8). Access restriction: CAMHS will only accept an ADHD-assessment referral where there is a co-occurring mental health condition; otherwise the young person is redirected to child health — so these low numbers reflect a restrictive access criterion, not low demand. Referral-to-seen: within 18 weeks for a generic mental health assessment, then 1-3 months if transferred to the ADHD assessment pathway (priority/capacity dependent).
We don't have figures from individual NHS services here yet.
What is restricting access here
Rules the NHS here has put in place that limit who can be assessed, or how fast.
Children
Extra referral checks (triage)
Children are only accepted for an ADHD assessment by the local child and adolescent mental health service if they also have a mental health condition, otherwise they are sent to child health services instead. Five children were on its ADHD waiting list.
Know of a restriction we've missed? Tell us.
What you can do
1
Get updates for this area
We'll email you when new figures or restrictions are published for NHS Shetland, and when complaint letters are ready.
2
Write to the ICB and your MP
Letter templates for this area are being prepared. Sign up and we'll tell you when they're ready.
Coming soon3
Tell us something we've missed
A new restriction, a letter from your trust, a figure that looks wrong. It helps us keep this page accurate.
Sources and how we work
In May 2026 we sent Freedom of Information requests to 1 organisation here. 1 has replied: 1 in full, 0 in part.
| Organisation | Reply | Received | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS Shetland | Full | 17 July 2026 | View |
Older figures and records (3)
- Jul 2024 NHS Shetland (adults): 137 waiting, 47 assessed · SourceThe BBC published research on ADHD wait times. They published data by NHS provider. In some cases the provider covers more than one NHS area. We've mapped the BBC data onto your ICB. It reported that in 2024 NHS Shetland had 137 people waiting with 47 seen in 2023/24. Giving an effective wait time of 2.9 years
- Mar 2023 NHS Shetland (adults) · SourceThe NHS Shetland told us via FOI that they did not provide a figure for how many adult ADHD assessments were carried out. they did not provide a figure for how many adults were waiting for an ADHD assessment.
- Mar 2023 NHS Shetland (children) · SourceThe NHS Shetland told us via FOI that they did not provide a figure for how many child ADHD assessments were carried out. they did not provide a figure for how many children were waiting for an ADHD assessment.
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NHS Shetland
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