NEW ADHD AND AUTISM POLICY IMPLEMENTED IN COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE
14 May 2026
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB has today announced that they have implemented a new ADHD and autism policy that reopens referral routes for patients of all ages, which is effective immediately.
The new policy replaces the temporary emergency policy that was introduced in May 2025 and that paused ADHD referrals for people aged 25 or over. Patients of all ages can now seek an ADHD assessment and the decision on whether a referral is made will be based on clinical need and functional impact alone.
Patients who believe they have ADHD or autism should contact their GP and make an appointment.
In addition to reopening ADHD referrals for all ages, the new policy also introduces a new quality-based provider framework. All NHS-funded providers, including Right to Choose providers, are now expected to meet clear quality, safety, governance and follow-up standards, aligned to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The aim of this new framework and the strengthened quality standards is to increase confidence in the robustness, quality and consistency of independent provider assessments, as well as the overall support offered to patients.
The new policy also introduces the expectation that, where a clinician makes a referral for both ADHD and autism, a patient should receive a dual ADHD and autism assessment providing it is clinically appropriate. This will benefit patients by reducing the number of appointments before a full diagnosis, help to avoid unnecessary delays, and support a better understanding of their full neurodevelopmental profile.
It is important to note that waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments vary significantly depending on the provider and referral pathway, and remain extremely long, particularly for ADHD. Within the NHS, adult ADHD assessment waiting times are typically between three and six years, while children may wait between five and ten years. For autism assessments, children and young people wait around two years on average, with adult waiting times slightly longer.
The ICB acknowledges that waiting times are too long and is working closely with partner organisations to address this, supported by the new policy and quality framework. This is not unique to Coventry and Warwickshire and patients across the country face similarly long waits.
To help people better understand the new policy and the support available to ADHD and autism patients, the ICB has created a new webpage that provides more detail as well as a series of frequently asked questions. You can find that here.