Fonagy review warns NHS mental health, ADHD and autism services face 'system failures'
October 8, 2026 at 11:31 PM
5 reports · over 1 hour
Newspaper headlines: 'Stark warning' over ADHD and 'Andrew wins legal fight'
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NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry finds
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NHS England mental health services review: what has it found and what does it recommend?
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No ‘snowflakes’: mental health review says today’s youth have it harder and harms are real
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ADHD and autism at risk of over-diagnosis, says government review
(opens the publisher’s site)A government-commissioned review of England's mental health, ADHD and autism services found rising distress is real and warned of growing overdiagnosis risks.
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Professor Peter Fonagy's 607-page review, published Friday, warned mental health and neurodevelopmental services will be overwhelmed without radical reform.
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The review recommended needs-led care, removal of first-come-first-served waiting lists, and a ban on advertising private ADHD and autism assessments.
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More than 800,000 people in England were waiting for ADHD or autism assessments, including over 560,000 for ADHD.
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Health Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged a needs-led system and Care Quality Commission regulation of assessment clinics but did not commit to the advertising ban.