ADHD care gap costing NI £290M annually as 9,500 adults wait for assessment
Untreated ADHD is costing Northern Ireland more than £290 million annually in lost productivity, reduced employment participation, increased mental health pressures and wider societal impacts, according to ADHD Now, which today launches an exclusive partnership with Duality Healthcare to transform ADHD care in Northern Ireland.
An estimated 150,000 people are living with ADHD in Northern Ireland and over 9,500 adults remain on waiting lists for assessment, with some waiting more than eight years.
In response to what clinicians describe as a critical service gap, Duality Healthcare is partnering with ADHD Now to deliver Northern Ireland’s first end-to-end ADHD pathway, with specialist ADHD assessments, diagnosis, and treatment provision together in one place – a single, joined-up patient pathway available across Northern Ireland.
Currently, there are no commissioned adult ADHD services anywhere in Northern Ireland, leaving many adults without access to structured diagnostic pathways or ongoing specialist care.
Through this exclusive partnership, patients will have access to specialist ADHD assessments, expert-led diagnostic evaluations, evidence-based treatment plans, medication initiation and management if clinically appropriate, and ongoing monitoring and follow-up care.
Any adult in Northern Ireland can book for a consultation via Duality Healthcare’s website dualityhealthcare.com/adhd
John McEvoy, CEO of Duality Healthcare, said:
“The scale of unmet need in Northern Ireland is stark, both in human and economic terms. Thousands of adults are waiting years for clarity and support, while the wider economic cost continues to grow. The absence of commissioned adult ADHD services has created a significant gap in provision and our exclusive partnership with ADHD Now enables us to offer a structured, specialist-led pathway for adults across Northern Ireland who desperately need access to these services and we are delighted to be able to offer this transformative model of care .”
“These services are available through a combination of online and in-person assessment and treatment, with ongoing care supported by our five Northern Ireland clinics in Belfast, Derry, Newry, Omagh and Ballymena, and further clinics expected to open this year” he added.
Matthew Gavin, CEO of ADHD Now, says:
“ADHD does not disappear at 18, yet adults in Northern Ireland currently have no commissioned service to turn to. Delayed or missed diagnosis can have profound consequences for education, employment, relationships and mental health. I’m excited by this partnership with Duality Healthcare, which enables us to provide access to expert-led ADHD supports for the people of Northern Ireland.”
ADHD is a recognised neurodevelopmental condition affecting attention, impulsivity and emotional regulation. When left untreated, it is frequently associated with anxiety, depression, reduced educational attainment and workplace challenges.
Matthew Gavin lives with ADHD himself. For years, Matthew felt like he was pushing forward but never quite understanding why life seemed harder than it should be. It wasn’t until his late 20s, when he was finally diagnosed with ADHD, that the pieces started to fall into place.
That clarity of being diagnosed with ADHD didn’t just change his life; it sparked a determination to make sure others could get answers without the same long, confusing fight.
“My own struggle to get a clear diagnosis inspired me to found ADHD Now, so others wouldn’t face the same challenges,” Matthew says. “Partnering with Duality Healthcare is an extremely important next step in supporting the many people in Northern Ireland waiting for an assessment as well as those who have a diagnosis but cannot access ongoing management supports.”
