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NHS area · England

ADHD assessment in NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB

Figures come from our own Freedom of Information requests. Last updated 30 July 2026.

At a glance

Adults
6,363
adults waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 8 years.
26th longest of 35 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 12 years.
Children and young people
1,369
children waiting, across the NHS services we have figures for
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 26 weeks.
34th longest of 38 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 2.7 years.
Right to Choose
Available, but restricted
The NHS here limits how Right to Choose can be used. Some providers still report short waits.
Shortest adult ADHD waits reported: ProblemShared 6 weeks, Clinical Partners 9 weeks, Montrose Health Group 12 weeks.
See all Right to Choose providers

How NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB 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 8 years
010 yrs20 yrs30 yrs40 yrs50 yrs60 yrs70+ 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.

6,363 adults waiting across the whole area, according to the NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (31 March 2026).
What they told us

NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB told us via FOI (FOI 26-171, dated 05/06/2026), from the Q4 2025/26 Midlands Neurodivergent Waiting SitRep, that the BSMHFT Adult ADHD service had 6,363 adults at pre-diagnosis stages (618 awaiting screening/triage + 5,635 awaiting assessment + 110 awaiting diagnosis), plus 423 awaiting intervention and a 1,912 caseload. Average wait from referral to first assessment: 945 DAYS (~135 weeks); longest 1,421 days (~203 weeks). Annual assessment volumes not held (redirect to BSMHFT). IAPs ARE in place for adult RtC providers but details were REFUSED under s.43(2) FOIA (Commercial Interests). Note: response covers NHS Birmingham and Solihull only (now part of the B&S + Black Country ICB cluster).

Source

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

8,840waiting
1,186assessed in the year to Mar 2026
~7 yrsat current pace
People waiting over time
Mar 2023: 3,615Mar 2026: 8,840
Figures at 31 March 2026 · Source
What they told us

FOI 070/2026 (30 Jul 2026): 8,840 adults waiting (includes those waiting to be assessed and those awaiting a diagnostic appointment); 1,186 adults given an ADHD assessment in 2025/26. EFFECTIVE WAIT: at the 2025/26 rate (1,186 per year) the 8,840-strong list represents roughly 7.5 years (8,840 / 1,186). Stated wait: 1 year 4 months from referral to initial assessment appointment. Two routes: the CYP Division service for 16 to 24.5-year-olds (nurse assessment by video, QB Test where indicated, progression to a diagnostic appointment only if criteria met) and the Adult ADHD service for 18+ in Solihull and 25+ in Birmingham (Single Point of Access, senior clinician triage, specialist nurse assessment, MDT diagnosis decision).

Figures from individual services come from different dates and some services cover more than one area, so they won't add up to the whole-area total.

Right to Choose: other NHS-funded providers

In England you can ask your GP to refer you to a different NHS-funded provider, often with a shorter wait. These are the waits providers have told us for NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB, shortest first. How Right to Choose works

ProviderWait for assessmentWait for medication (titration)Link
Mentalwell
No wait. Adults (18+) only.
No wait listed4 weeksProvider page
ProblemShared6 weeks32 weeksProvider page
Clinical Partners9 weeks39 weeksProvider page
Montrose Health Group
12 weeks for initial assessment.
12 weeks3 weeksProvider page
Psychiatry-UK20 weeks48 weeksProvider page
Psicon
No routine activity being funded, priority cases only, prior approval required
52 weeks16 weeksProvider page
ADHD 36066 weeksNo waitProvider page
Insight Diagnostics
Cannot accept referrals
Not acceptingNot acceptingProvider page
20 more providers serve this area but have not told us their wait yet.

Providers update their own figures through our provider portal. Waits can change quickly, so check with the provider before asking your GP.

What is restricting access here

Rules the NHS here has put in place that limit who can be assessed, or how fast.

Adults and children

Capping Right to Choose

This area has caps on Right to Choose ADHD and autism providers for adults and children, but would not share the details, saying they were commercially sensitive. Adults wait on average about 2 and a half years for a first assessment with the local NHS service.

5 June 2026 · Source

Know of a restriction we've missed? Tell us.

What you can do

1

Ask your GP for a Right to Choose referral

Pick a provider from the list above and ask your GP to refer you there. Our guide explains what to say.

Read the guide
2

Get updates for this area

We'll email you when new figures or restrictions are published for NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB, and when complaint letters are ready.

3

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 soon
4

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 4 organisations here. 4 have replied: 2 in full, 2 in part.

OrganisationReplyReceivedDocument
NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICBPartial5 June 2026View
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustFull25 June 2026View
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustPartial13 July 2026View
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation TrustFull30 July 2026View
Older figures and records (10)
  • Mar 2026 NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (children) · Source
    NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB told us via FOI (FOI 26-171, dated 05/06/2026), from the Q4 2025/26 SitRep, that children's ADHD services span several providers with COMBINED ASD+ADHD or under-25 cohorts (condition-combined - not graphed): Birmingham Community Healthcare (under-16, ASD & ADHD): 4,237 awaiting screening + 923 assessment + 485 diagnosis, average wait 427 days (longest 1,085); BSMHFT ND Services (under-25): 921 awaiting assessment + 1,240 diagnosis, average 203 days; UHB Specialist Assessment Service (under-18): 369 awaiting assessment, average 143 days; UHB Community Paediatrics Solihull: 70 + 295, average 167 days. Annual volumes: contact providers. Child IAPs: issued to some RtC providers for ADHD/autism broadly; no child-only schedule held.
  • Jul 2024 NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (adults): 3,940 waiting, 793 assessed · Source
    The 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 Birmingham and Solihull had 3940 people waiting with 793 seen in 2023/24. Giving an effective wait time of 5.0 years
  • Mar 2023 Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (adults): 3,615 waiting, 627 assessed · Source
    Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust reported that 627 adult ADHD assessments were carried out in 2023. Around 3,615 adults were reported to be waiting for an ADHD assessment.
  • Mar 2023 University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (adults) · Source
    University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust told us that No adult ADHD assessment activity or waiting list figures were provided in the response.
  • Mar 2023 Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (adults) · Source
    Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust told us that No adult ADHD assessment activity or waiting list figures were provided in the response.
  • Mar 2023 NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (adults) · Source
    The NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board 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 University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (children) · Source
    University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust reported that 518 child ADHD assessments were carried out in 2023. The number of children currently waiting for assessment was not provided.
  • Mar 2023 Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (children): 1,672 waiting, 732 assessed · Source
    Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust reported that 732 child ADHD assessments were carried out in 2023. Around 1,672 children were reported to be waiting for an ADHD assessment.
  • Mar 2023 Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (children) · Source
    Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust told us that No child ADHD assessment activity or waiting list figures were provided in the response.
  • Mar 2023 NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (children) · Source
    The NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board 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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This information was obtained, checked and analysed by ADHD UK through our own Freedom of Information requests. Copying it to another website, or into a commercial product, dataset or AI tool, is not permitted. See our website terms. Questions about using this information? Contact us.