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Children's ADHD service

  • We provide ADHD assessments and diagnosis for children and young people across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 

About the service

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how children and young people manage attention, activity levels, and impulses.

ADHD can include:

  • Inattention – difficulty concentrating, being disorganised or forgetful, struggling to finish tasks
  • Hyperactivity – finding it hard to sit still, fidgeting, seeming constantly “on the go”
  • Impulsivity – acting or speaking without thinking, interrupting others, difficulty waiting

For a diagnosis of ADHD, these difficulties must:

  • Have been present for at least 6 months
  • Occur in more than one setting (for example home and school)
  • Cause significant impact on learning, behaviour, or social life

Many children show some of these behaviours at times. ADHD is considered when difficulties are persistent, developmentally inappropriate, and affect every day functioning. Strengths, interests, and abilities are always an important part of understanding a child, not just their difficulties.

What should I do if I’m worried?

If you are concerned your child may have ADHD, there are important steps you can take before considering a referral.

1. Access early support and information

In line with national guidance, parents and carers should be offered access to parent education or support for ADHD-like behaviours without waiting for a diagnosis.

This may include ADHD-focused programs or other evidence-based parenting support, such as the Solihull Approach or equivalent local services.

These programs can help you:

  • Better understand attention, activity, and emotional regulation difficulties
  • Learn practical strategies to support your child at home
  • Decide whether further assessment may be needed

2. Talk to your child’s school

Share concerns with your child’s teacher, SENCO, or school nurse.

School staff can help put appropriate support in place and monitor how your child manages in the classroom.

3. Put support strategies in place

Support strategies should be tried at home and school, such as:

  • Clear routines and structure
  • Visual supports
  • Behaviour or learning strategies

Many children show improvement when the right support is in place.

4. Monitor progress over time

It is important to observe and record:

  • What strategies have been used
  • What has helped
  • What difficulties remain

Before an ADHD assessment referral

Before referring a child for an ADHD assessment, we usually expect evidence that:

  • Support strategies have been used consistently for at least 10 weeks
  • School-based support has been in place for at least one school term
  • The impact and outcomes of these strategies have been recorded

This information helps ensure that any assessment is appropriate, thorough, and in line with national clinical guidance.

When can a referral be considered?

A referral to the Herefordshire and Worcestershire ADHD pathway may be considered if:

  • The child is aged 5½ to 17½ years
  • ADHD-like difficulties have been present for 6 months or more
  • Difficulties occur across more than one setting
  • There is clear impact on education and/or social functioning
  • Information is available from home and school (or another setting)
  • Support strategies have been tried and have not been sufficient on their own

If a child shows ADHD-like behaviours but can manage education and social life without significant impairment, they may not meet criteria for a diagnosis, although support may still be appropriate.

Private ADHD assessments

If your child has had a private ADHD assessment, and you are seeking NHS involvement, we require:

  • A full copy of the assessment report, including all raw data from assessment tools (not just summary scores or conclusions)
  • Completion of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Community Paediatrics ADHD Referral Form by parents/carers and the child’s school or education setting

Private assessments are reviewed using the same clinical standards as NHS assessments to ensure care is safe, evidence-based, and in line with NICE guidance.

The NHS is not automatically able to accept or continue care without this information.

How to access the service

Important information about ADHD referrals

The ADHD service is no longer able to accept referrals directly from parents or carers.

If you have concerns about your child, please contact the education professionals involved in their care (for example, their school or SENCO), who can discuss your concerns and make a referral where appropriate.

Referrals submitted directly by parents or carers cannot be processed and will be returned.

To make a referral, please complete the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Community Paediatrics ADHD Referral Form , which must be completed jointly by parents/carers and the child’s school or education setting and return to:

Make a referral

Service updates

This page provides an overview of waiting times for autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 
  
We recognise that current waiting times for assessment are long and that this can be difficult and frustrating for children, young people, and their families. We want to be open about these challenges and to reassure you that we are working together with our partners to improve access to assessment and reduce waiting times.

Service update — 14th September 2026

Temporary changes to the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Children’s ADHD Service

The Trust has made the difficult decision to temporarily restrict the Herefordshire and Worcestershire ADHD Service from 14th September 2026. The service restrictions will be in place for an initial four-week period and will be reviewed regularly. During this time, the service will focus on maintaining safe care and supporting children and young people with the most urgent clinical needs. Autism services provided by the Trust are not affected.

We recognise this news will be concerning to children, young people and families waiting for assessment, treatment or support, and we sincerely apologise for the impact this may have. This decision has not been taken lightly - we believe it is the safest course of action at this time and an important step in supporting the recovery and long-term sustainability of the service.

What does this mean?

During the restricted period:

  • Referrals will continue to be received and screened.
  • Children and young people with urgent clinical needs will continue to be assessed and supported.
  • Patients should attend any appointments already arranged unless contacted by the service.
  • Routine clinical appointments will be temporarily paused.
  • The service will be unable to respond to non-urgent enquiries, routine correspondence or complaints.

Parents, carers and professionals with concerns about a child should continue to contact the service through the ADHD inbox as usual. Urgent concerns will be reviewed by a clinician.

Why are we doing this?

Demand for ADHD assessment and treatment continues to exceed the capacity available within our service, resulting in increasing waiting times and pressure on staff. The temporary restrictions will create capacity to review waiting lists, prioritise children and young people according to clinical need, and support the safe operation of the service.

What happens next?

Over the coming weeks, we will work closely with NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB, local authorities, families and other partners to identify both immediate recovery actions and longer-term solutions to meet growing demand. The initial four-week period will be kept under review, and we will provide further updates as soon as more information is available.

If you have concerns about your child's wellbeing or their needs change significantly, please contact your GP or the ADHD service. Further information and support resources are available on this page. 

Current waiting times

Waiting times may vary depending on the type of assessment and individual circumstances. Typically children and young people will wait:

  • ADHD assessments: 63 weeks*
  • Autism assessments: 81 weeks*

*These figures reflect the mean average waiting times for June 2026. Some people will be seen sooner than the average waiting time and some patients may wait longer. 

We aim to update our waiting times every three months. Last updated: 30th June 2026. 

Our commitment 

We know how important timely assessments are. We are working to improve assessment pathways, increase capacity within our services, and ensure families receive appropriate support while waiting. This work is ongoing, and we are committed to keeping families informed as improvements are made. 
  
If you have concerns about your child while waiting, or feel that their needs have worsened, please speak to the professional who made the referral or to your GP.

ADHD and Autism 'Right to Choose' for Under 18s 

Right to Choose applies to autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people under 18 years. Every patient in England has the right to choose an alternative NHS commissioned provider of health services at the point of referral or where the waiting list for the referred service is longer than 18 weeks. 

Support while you wait  

We understand that waiting for an assessment can feel uncertain, particularly if your child is struggling at home or school. While a formal diagnosis can be important, support does not need to wait until an assessment is complete.  

There is a range of help and guidance available for children, young people, and families while waiting, including support with emotional wellbeing, education, and day ‑ to ‑ day  challenges.  

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB have produced ‘Support While You Wait’ guides, which outline the services, resources, and practical advice available locally.   T hese include information for parents and carers, and  age-appropriate resources for children and young people.

You may also find it helpful to contact SENDIASS, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service. The service offers free, impartial advice on education, health, and care processes, and can help you understand what support may be available through schools and local services.

Further support and resources can be found at: Special educational needs and disability (SEND)

Support while you wait

We work closely with schools, local authorities, and other professionals to ensure your child receives the support they need, when they need it. Health services, education settings, and local authorities all share responsibility for supporting children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND. By working together, we aim to provide coordinated care that meets the individual needs of local children.

Support while you wait for an appointment 

Further information and resources

Groups, courses and support for children and families with SEND

SENDIASS

The SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) deliver a range of free training workshops for parents and carers, and professionals.

Workshops for parent carers:

Workshops for professionals:

All sessions are interactive, enabling participants to ask questions.  Find out more on the SENDIASS website.

Autism West Midlands

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB have commissioned Autism West Midlands & ADHD Foundation Trust to deliver a series of workshops for families of children with Autism.

To find out more information or to book onto any of the below sessions,  visit the Autism West Midlands Eventbrite page.

If you have any queries or need additional information, please contact Autism West Midlands using the details below:

Get involved

Worcestershire 

Do you know a young person under the age of 25, with an additional need who wants to share their opinion on services for young people with SEND? Get involved with Voices United Worcestershire  and help to shape services in Worcestershire. To find out more visit:  Co-production and how to get involved (SEND) | Worcestershire County Council