Debate contribution: ADHD Services

Debate contribution by Mrs Linda Dillon on 9 February 2026.

MLA

Mrs Linda Dillon

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

9 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

ADHD Services

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5369765

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank everybody who took part in the debate. Sinn Féin tabled the motion because the current approach to ADHD services is failing children, young people and adults across the North. I appreciate everyone's commentary and the fact that we have consensus across the House that the motion and the amendment will be supported. I welcome that. Over the past year in particular, like so many of you, I have been contacted by a number of, in particular, adults in their early 20s and their families, as they are at breaking point. Adults and children who suspect that they have ADHD are being left in limbo for years. Many are being forced to pay privately for assessments, as Members have mentioned, because of limited diagnosis and/or treatment opportunities in the NHS. Some trusts do not offer any services for adults. Parents are desperate to get support for their children, only to be told that there is no clear pathway, no timely assessment and no consistent service, meaning that there is a postcode lottery to get access to any service. That is not sustainable. The problem begins with the failure to commission services and then expecting trusts to provide services whilst being expected to reduce their spend and budget. That leads to a hotchpotch approach that causes a great deal of distress to those requiring diagnosis or treatment. The motion recognises the clear need for properly commissioned ADHD services. ADHD is not a niche issue, as we heard from many Members who spoke; it is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that, when unsupported, affects education, employment, mental health, family life and contact with the justice system. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of getting this right. The Minister is well aware — we accept it — of the financial constraints of his Department. I say again, however, that it is how we spend what we have. It is how we invest at the earliest opportunity and ensure that people get the treatment that they need. We recognise the need for a regional diagnosis service and specific mental health services for those with ADHD and co-existing mental illness. Too often, people fall between services, being deemed not severe enough for mental health provision yet unable to access appropriate ADHD support. That fragmented approach fails people. I welcome the amendment, which strengthens the motion, because transparency is essential. I welcome the fact that the Minister has confirmed that we will have sight of the report, which will show us the evidence, the gaps and the recommendations. I hope that we will then understand the plan to implement those recommendations, what we will do to deliver for people and how we will put in place the services that they require to get diagnosed, get treatment and the support that they need. Crucially, the amendment calls for engagement:

"with GP representative bodies to address barriers to shared care arrangements".

The Minister has committed to understanding those challenges, and I appreciate that. He has outlined that he is already having those conversations, but it is now a question of what support and assistance will be given to GPs to ensure that we overcome the challenges. Many people who receive a diagnosis — often privately because the public system cannot deliver — are unable to access ongoing treatment through primary care. GPs are being placed in an impossible position. They are expected to take on shared care without the necessary funding, training or commissioning structures. That is not a failure of individual GPs; it is a failure of the system to properly commission and support that work. If we are serious about community-based care, it must be funded and commissioned properly. ADHD support cannot rely on goodwill; it must be built into the system. The motion calls for:

"improved awareness of ADHD within government agencies, schools and workplaces".

Too many people still face misunderstanding, stigma and a lack of reasonable adjustments. Better awareness is not a nice-to-have addition; it is fundamental to inclusion, early intervention and better outcomes. This is about the Department stepping up to its responsibility to commission, fund and coordinate ADHD services across the region, not leaving people to navigate a postcode lottery, pay out of pocket or fall through the gaps of an under-resourced system. We owe it to adults who are waiting years for support; we owe it to parents fighting for assessments for their children; and we owe it to a generation of people whose lives could be transformed by timely diagnosis, treatment and understanding. There have been common themes during the debate. Danny referred to what some Members said, so I do not propose to repeat what everybody said. We would not benefit from that because we are saying the same things: suicidal ideation; marginalisation,; impact on employment and educational outcomes; substance misuse; families exhausted and at breaking point; relationship breakdown; inability to access shared care; no commissioned services; access to life-changing and life-saving medication being blocked; and ending up in contact with the criminal justice system. The question for all of us is not about affordability but whether we can afford not to put in place commissioned services for diagnosis, medication, treatment and support for those who are trying to navigate this world with ADHD.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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