NHS plan to limit ADHD diagnoses attacked as 'rationing' as benefits claimants now outnumber British Army soldiers

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

A government report expected next week will reportedly recommend that ADHD patients be 'triaged' and given support without a formal diagnosis, with NHS clinic referrals reserved for the most severely affected. Critics have attacked the proposals as "rationing" healthcare, warning they will push children and adults toward self-diagnosis via social media. Prof Peter Fonagy's review found 800,000 patients are already waiting years to be assessed, while complaints about ADHD services in England have more than tripled in five years.

The review was commissioned against a backdrop of sharply rising sickness benefit claims tied to ADHD, autism and mental health diagnoses.

Around 100,000 people claim health-related benefits because of ADHD alone — a figure that now exceeds the total number of British Army soldiers.