ADHD in the next General Election
If you’re voice is not heard then you’re ignored for other priorities. We must ensure ADHD’s voice is loud.
We need positive change for ADHD in the UK
Introduction
Ensuring positive change for ADHD in the UK is essential in the upcoming general election. To not be part of the debate is to be forgotten and ignored. That means lengthening wait lists, reduced services, and losing Right to Choose. Instead of reduced waiting lists and both keeping and expanding Right to Choose.
Being forgotten is encapsulated in this political advert promoting the reduction of 2-year waiting times – omitting that the reduction didn’t include mental health such as ADHD.
In a general election everyone is shouting. How are we going to get heard?
We’re organising local lobbying led by ADHD UK Ambassadors and supported by ADHD UK Changemakers. We’re affecting opinion at the ground level to impact the national level. Specifically, we will be:
- Organising a disability-friendly candidate debate in every constituency. We’ll use that to ensure people with ADHD and other conditions can participate in our democratic process. We’re working out the details with partners but we are expecting it to include: a structured question format to avoid people having to push to have their questions answered or have to go to a microphone, no questions shouted from the audience, sign language delivered via video-feed,
- Asking candidates to state their position on ADHD and keeping a record of it. So we can hold those elected to account.
- Releasing data and using the media to get ADHD into the national conversation.
How to get involved
We need you to help us make change happen. National change happens at the local level. We’re organising into NHS areas – so you can lobby your area for change. You support our programmes, you have the option to attend monthly “ADHD UK Insider meetings” where we discuss our current programmes and future programmes. You can use those to influence and change our plans. You then get involved in lobbying at multiple levels in your area – your local NHS, your MPS, and your councils to create a successful pincer movement of compounding pressure on decision makers. Councils have particularly strong connections with their local NHS and are often forgotten in lobbying campaigns.
Local Campaigns are led by an individual, or teams of, ADHD UK Ambassadors. You can learn more about the Ambassador program here. If you’re not ready to be an Ambassador but would like to get support locally you can register to be an ADHD UK Change Maker here.