A Sussex programme that moves adult ADHD assessment, diagnosis and follow-up closer to patients’ homes through local GP practices has been shortlisted for the Health Service Journal’s Mental Health Innovation of the Year award. The ADHD Primary Care Connect initiative is a partnership between the Sussex Primary Care Provider Collaborative, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board and has already generated thousands of referrals in its pilot areas.
High demand and a community-focused model
Since its launch, the pilot has received 2,440 referrals from across Brighton and Hove, Crawley and Hastings. It is being promoted as a way to provide face-to-face assessment and ongoing support within familiar primary care settings rather than through remote or centralised services.
- Referrals received (pilot areas): 2,440
- Estimated adults with ADHD in Sussex: between 41,000 and 55,500
- Current ADHD assessment waiting list at Sussex Partnership: more than 15,000 adults
Local leaders say the programme offers more holistic patient care by enabling clinicians to identify and manage other health needs and by linking patients to community resources such as social prescribing teams.
"Having a local service means face-to-face assessments are the norm, with clinicians who understand the local community and the support available," said GP clinical lead Dr David Fox.
Dr Fox described a case in which a patient not only received an assessment and treatment but was connected with a primary care network social prescribing team for workplace support. He added that the pilot seeks to improve equitable access to timely assessment, diagnosis and treatment while potentially reducing avoidable costs across health and care services that arise when care is not delivered locally.
Waiting lists and rising referrals
The programme comes against a backdrop of rapidly increasing demand for adult ADHD assessment. Referrals for adult assessments in Sussex have tripled over the past five years, according to the service. The combination of rising referrals and large numbers on waiting lists underlines capacity pressures within specialist services.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Referrals to pilot | 2,440 |
| Estimated adults with ADHD in Sussex | 41,000–55,500 |
| Adults on Sussex Partnership assessment waiting list | 15,000+ |
While these figures are local to Sussex, they reflect a broader trend seen across the NHS: increasing recognition of adult ADHD and greater demand for assessment and treatment. Peer-reviewed research more widely has highlighted that improved access to diagnosis and support can affect patients’ quality of life, employment and comorbid health issues, but such studies also caution that increased detection requires parallel investment in service capacity to avoid bottlenecks.
Children and young people services also recognised
Separately, the Southern Counties CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) Provider Collaborative, led by Sussex Partnership, has been shortlisted in the Provider Collaborative of the Year category. The collaborative has invested in alternatives to inpatient care, including the COAST intensive home-treatment service and an eating-disorder initiative, Spring Tide, as part of efforts to provide care closer to home for young people with complex mental health needs.
The double recognition of both adult ADHD innovations and child and adolescent community services signals growing emphasis within the NHS on shifting care out of inpatient and remote settings and into local, integrated services. Proponents argue this model can improve continuity, reduce travel and support timely, context-sensitive interventions.
However, the data also underline a practical tension: as identification and referrals increase, so does demand on limited local resources. The success of pilots such as ADHD Primary Care Connect will depend not only on clinical outcomes and patient experience but on whether capacity and funding can be expanded to meet sustained demand.
As with many service innovations, evaluation will be crucial. Robust outcome data, including measures of waiting-time reductions, diagnostic accuracy, treatment adherence and wider health system impacts, will be needed to judge whether GP-based ADHD pathways can be scaled reliably while maintaining standards of care.
The Health Service Journal awards shortlists will be announced later in the awards cycle, with winners set to be recognised for contributions to improvement and innovation across the health service.
