Health / Hundreds on ADHD waiting list as service struggles with demand
MORE than 300 adults in Shetland are on the waiting list for an ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) diagnosis.
A meeting of NHS Shetland’s annual review on Monday heard that local services were struggling to meet the rise in demand.
Minster for drugs and alcohol policy and sport Maree Todd said the increased demand, which has in part been attributed to increased awareness and less stigma, is mirrored nationally and is putting a strain on services across Scotland.
Meanwhile the annual review meeting also heard that more than 240 children were on waiting lists for neurodevelopmental assessment at the end of 2024/25, for conditions like autism and ADHD.
NHS Shetland chairman Gary Robinson said during a presentation on the health board’s performance over 2024/25 the organisation continues to have “real challenges” in meeting demand in this area.
“We know in Shetland we have double the national average of learning disability and neurodevelopmental diagnosis,” he said.
“We’re currently targeting our limited resources to those most at risk and looking at different ways of offering support to people who are waiting and who have accessed services to support better outcomes for everyone.”
The NHS describes ADHD as a group of behavioural symptoms that can include difficulty concentrating and paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Some people with ADHD – which the NHS can provide medication for – have issues with inattentiveness, but not with hyperactivity or impulsiveness.
During a question and answer session, occupational therapist Jen Roberts asked if there was anything going to be put in place to tackle the ADHD demand.
Todd answered first, saying there was a “global rise” in request for assessment.
“That is causing a particular challenge here in Scotland because our services aren’t able to cope with the increase in demand,” the MSP said.
Todd added that there is “debate” over whether there is a higher rate than there used to be, or whether stigma has fallen away and more people are coming forward for diagnosis.
NHS Shetland’s director of pharmacy Anthony McDavitt said the health board is “very aware” of the number of people expecting to have a diagnosis and then a treatment pathway available to them.
“That’s based on a service that was never that size to provide that level of care, and to provide it to that size of population,” he added.
“There’s a lot of work we’re doing internally. We have had some success in the past around having a good, effective assessment process, but there is a still a treatment pathway that needs to mature a wee bit.”
McDavitt added that NHS Shetland is ensuring there is availability of assessment and treatment to people who have suspected ADHD plus other issues, such as mental illness or substance use.
He said with limited resources “we have to think about how we give it to people with the highest need”.
The pharmacy chief described the situation as a “new burden in demand” for the health board.
Last year NHS Shetland said demand for ADHD assessments had doubled in the last two years, with more children being referred since the end of the Covid pandemic.
In November the health board said adult patients were waiting 14 months on average to be assessed.
More information on ADHD can be found on the NHS website.
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