Hello fellow ADHD folks, I'm under Care ADHD. I got referred by my GP in late October and received my confirmation of referral + forms in early November. I filled them straight away, and waited to hear about an assessment date...
Nada. Then I get the email sometime in winter I'm sure some of us are unfortunately familiar with.
"At present, NHS Greater Manchester ICB has advised that NHS-funded ADHD assessment activity is paused and cannot progress. This pause is expected to remain in place until at least the next financial year (April 2026), although timelines are determined by the ICB and may change. To clarify, the pause was not a decision made by CARE ADHD and this pause applies to all NHS-funded providers, not just our service. Until we receive formal confirmation that activity can resume, we are unable to offer or progress NHS assessment appointments for NHS Greater Manchester ICB patients."
I call Care ADHD today to check the status - "We're still paused by ICB, with no timeline of when this will change."
However, I've just seen a few comments from users in this subreddit who have managed to get through Care ADHD's entire process in 2026 alone - get diagnosed, start the titration process - I'm happy for them, but so confused! How come I (and many others) are stuck but they're not? Especially if we were referred earlier?
I suppose I'm here looking for solidarity and success stories, and maybe advice about whether to wait for ICB to release funding, or to request IFR? I'm a university student who is really starting to drown in ADHD-related coursework struggles, classic. I don't want to fail my course and I really want to be functional. I'd previously self-medicated to see if it would help, and on those days, I got a glimpse of what it's like to be a functioning human with a "go" button and a mind that lets me think and prioritise without everything falling apart.
I'm so desperate for this. I hope we can all get what we need.