Hi. I have been told that my local icb has restricted funding for assessments. North east and north Cumbria. My GP surgery have told me to change provider. Surely if I’m part of one icb it won’t matter which provider I go through, can someone help? If I change provider will it make a difference to my wait? I’m feeling quite desperate and wait says up to 2 years, considering private but titration sounds really costly… thanks S x
Hi, the average wait for North East and North Cumbria has been set at an average minimum wait of 78 weeks.
Starting with the ADHD support groups link which hopefully can give you further support whilst you work through all of this, if any of them are something you feel happy to attend or be involved in:
**North East and North Cumbria
**
Incase you haven’t had access to this, and so you are informed by the latest updates and support they are offering.
Section from the FAQ’s page:
Waiting times are long as there is currently still a much higher demand for autism and ADHD assessments than services can provide.
Right to Choose referrals remain open and providers should continue to accept eligible referrals.
For 2026/27, providers funded by NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) are working to an approximately 78-week minimum waiting time for an initial assessment.
If you have only recently been referred, it is therefore unlikely that you will be offered an assessment during the current financial year (2026/27 ending 31 March 2027).
This does not mean your referral has been paused or cancelled. You should remain on your chosen provider’s waiting list."
Full site link (including FAQ’s):
- Support via local support via area published on the NENC site:
ADHD UK Right to Choose Assessment data (Last updated following Freedom of Information request by ADHD UK:
Even though these might have recent updates which are definitely worth checking first via each providers website, the bottom of the page gives links of the various providers which can help you decide which route to take with your referral. This doesn’t bypass the minimum wait, but it might reduce going to a provider with a much higher backlog or pauses on their referrals, than other providers.
You can access these provider sites as reference for conversations with your GP about choosing another provider. Some providers have their own postcode and local area search with their own recent updates.
It might also be worth asking your GP to clarify why they have given you the advice to look into another provider, as changing doesn’t always mean shorter wait time, especially if the new provider has recently had changes made.