The condition where patients are being told to wait seven YEARS for a diagnosis in Greater Manchester

The wait for ADHD tests and diagnoses has risen by years in Greater Manchester, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.

Demand has risen so much in recent months for Trafford Extended Service that the waiting list has shot up, with one man being told his wait for further ADHD investigation has grown from one year to seven years over just a 12 month period. Trafford Extended Service (TES) is a specialist team providing autism diagnosis, and diagnosis, pharmacological intervention and focused support for adults with ADHD, as well as people changing over from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

TES is run by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust (GMMH). The trust has been frank that its ADHD services 'are receiving a very high number of referrals which far exceed the number of people we are able to support'. The M.E.N. understands the wait for these services are now years-long after a major uptick in the number of people needing help.

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Waiting lists for ADHD tests and diagnoses are rising across the country. Leaders of ADHD UK, a major charity campaigning about the condition, say there are 2.6 million people with ADHD in the UK, waiting lists for adults range from 12 weeks to 10.5 years and those for children from five weeks to five years.

The World Health Organisation defines ADHD as being a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that has a direct negative impact on academic, occupational, or social functioning. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates one in twenty children (five per cent) and one in 29 adults (three to four per