A major independent review for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has called for significant changes to how people access support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, with Oxford experts helping to shape its findings and recommendations.
Led by Professor Peter Fonagy, the review examined evidence on mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, rising demand for diagnosis and support and how well current services meet people’s needs.
The report concludes that existing services are under significant pressure and recommends moving away from a diagnosis-dependent system towards one where support is based on a person’s needs and level of impairment, while ensuring timely diagnosis and specialist care when required.
The review highlights a substantial increase in demand for ADHD and autism assessments, with more than 560,000 open ADHD referrals and more than 254,000 open autism referrals recorded by the end of 2025. It calls for earlier intervention, better integrated care and greater focus on helping people participate in education, employment, family life and their communities.
Oxford’s contribution spanned psychiatry, public health, youth mental health and health informatics, helping to inform understanding of both young people’s experiences and the increasing demand for ADHD, autism and mental health services.
Contributors from the University of Oxford and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) included, Dr William Pettersson-Yeo, Professor Ilina Singh, Professor Cathy Creswell and Professor Mina Fazel. OHFT’s Adam Pill and Nnenna Omeje contributed research informatics expertise on service demand, population trends and the use of health data in service planning.
The review drew on evidence from the OxWell Student Survey, one of the UK’s largest surveys of children and young people’s wellbeing. Findings from OxWell helped inform understanding of how young people identify as neurodivergent, where they seek support and the important role schools play in their networks of care.
Professor Mina Fazel, Chair of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Oxford said: “We are enormously grateful to the young people and schools who contributed to the OxWell Student Survey, helping bring young people’s voices and experiences into this important national review. Our findings highlight how young people understand their own neurodivergence, where they seek support, and the vital role school staff play in young people’s networks of care.”
Focusing on the role that data can play in improving services and reducing inequalities, OHFT’s Research Informatics Systems Manager Adam Pill said: “The review highlights the importance of high-quality data in understanding demand, identifying inequalities and planning services effectively. Better information about who needs support, when they need it and the outcomes they experience will be essential to delivering the more joined-up, needs-led system set out in the report.”
Specialty Registrar in Psychiatry at OHFT Dr William Pettersson-Yeo said: “The results of this review emphasise the pressing need for ADHD and autism care pathways that are coherent between services, evidence-based and needs-led. It should be a priority that such service provision is accessible to all independent of age, ethnicity or socioeconomic background.”
Professor of Neuroscience & Society Ilina Singh, who served on the review’s steering committee and co-chaired its group on social drivers of diagnosis, said: “As a steering committee member, I have been impressed by the significant national effort that has gone into developing this 600-page review, by an extensive group of stakeholders and a core group of committed UK mental health science academics and clinicians. As co-chair of the social drivers group, we addressed longstanding challenges around the social and ethical dimensions of psychiatric diagnosis, such as stigma and identity, showing how integral the work of multidisciplinary teams like NEUROSEC are in mental health research and policy.”
Research from The Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research (OCEMR) was cited in the review. The referenced research covered topics including digital and parent-centred interventions for anxiety in children, barriers to accessing mental health support, workforce challenges, adolescent self-diagnosis, the impacts of school based universal interventions and mental health awareness efforts.
Deputy Director of OCEMR Professor Polly Waite, commented: “This review presents an important opportunity to change how we support children and young people’s mental health. Our research is focused on understanding what works for who and developing effective interventions that can reach more children and young people. The challenge now is to translate that evidence into accessible support for all who need it.”
The review’s recommendations are intended to inform future policy, service design and implementation, with a focus on earlier intervention, reducing waiting times, improving access to evidence-based support and creating more joined-up mental health and neurodevelopmental care pathways.
The full report “Independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism” can be viewed and/or downloaded on the Gov.UK website: Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: final report – GOV.UK
Other Oxford researchers whose work was cited in the review include:
- OCEMR: Paul Foundation Professor Children and Young Peoples Mental Health, Professor Polly Waite, Research Fellow Dr Tessa Reardon and Prudence Trust Research Fellow Dr Lucy Foulkes, Rosie Underwood, Professor of Health Economics Mara Violato, NIHR Research Fellow Carolina Guzman-Holst
Additional Oxford contributors to the review:
- Oxwell Student Survey Team team: Senior Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Emma Soneson, Junior Research Fellow Mirela Zaneva
- University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry: Specialty Registrar in Psychiatry Professor Max Taquet, NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration Manager Dr Julie Bieles
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust: Head of Research and Development Dr Martin Batty
