Debate contribution: ADHD Services

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 9 February 2026.

MLA: Mr Alan Robinson
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 9 February 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: ADHD Services
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5369721

Text

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words in support of the motion and the amendment. If you look on the Assembly website, you can see that, in this mandate, Members have asked 262 questions regarding ADHD. That, in itself, reflects the interest in and demand for services related to this clinically recognised developmental condition, as acknowledged by the World Health Organization and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NICE estimates that ADHD affects 3% to 5% of children and young people and 2% to 3% of adults. On that basis, tens of thousands of people here are likely to be living with ADHD. As other Members have said, many of those people are undiagnosed and unsupported. All of us in the Chamber will be well aware from our constituency offices of the challenges in accessing ADHD services in Northern Ireland, and I am sure that the Health Minister can testify to that. Constituents routinely report challenges in accessing an adult ADHD diagnosis across trusts. Referrals for their children are sometimes delayed for years, and getting help can depend on their reaching complete crisis point. As a result, those who can afford it pursue private assessments, often at considerable personal expense. For families who are struggling through the cost-of-living crisis, that is simply not an option. All that it serves to do is to create a two-tier system in which access to diagnosis and treatment depends not on clinical need but on the ability to pay. That is fundamentally at odds with the principles of a publicly funded health service. We have often heard about people paying huge amounts of money that they can ill afford to seek out a private assessment. We have been told at the Health Committee that some pay out upwards of £1,500 for those private assessments. We have even been told of patients who sought private assessments only for the private doctor to close down his clinic, leaving families out of pocket and with no diagnosis or repeat medication. Furthermore, research indicates that the cost of a monthly dose of Elvanse to treat children and adults can be anywhere between £65 and £116, which some have described as an "ADHD tax". Budget will be referred to today, but, as we all know — it is said here frequently — early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are not only clinically effective but cost-effective.
Research shows that people with ADHD who receive prompt support are more likely to remain in education, sustain employment and avoid crisis-driven contact with health, social care and justice services.
Investment in ADHD services is therefore investment in prevention and long-term well-being. It is an investment in Northern Ireland plc. We hope that the Minister can move quickly and begin to address the recommendations in the ADHD needs assessment, which, we understand, is now with his Department. In this case, I do not envy him with the scale of the task that he has ahead.

494 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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