Independent review
Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism
Government response
No government response is recorded for this review.
About this review
Summary written by this siteIndependent review commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care in December 2025 and led by Professor Peter Fonagy OBE, with Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird as vice-chairs. The interim report was published on 31 March 2026 and the final report on 9 October 2026.
Recommendations 10
Recommendation 1
Tackle the drivers of mental distress and ill health through an ambitious approach to prevention, early intervention and improving public mental health and wellbeing.
Recommendation 2
Move from a ‘diagnosis-dependent’ to a ‘needs-led plus diagnosis’ system by developing a digitally and AI-enabled shared needs assessment and prioritisation framework for people with mental health and neurodevelopmental needs.
Recommendation 3
Commission and deliver integrated digitally-enabled mental health and neurodevelopmental assessment and support that is age-appropriate and responds to the needs of local communities.
Recommendation 4
Close treatment gaps while protecting, strengthening and investing in specialist services to improve access and outcomes for those with the most severe, complex and enduring needs, including specialist support delivered in the community, and crisis and inpatient services.
Recommendation 5
Overhaul the commissioning, funding, oversight and regulation of mental health and neurodevelopmental services, including making all diagnostic assessments for ADHD and autism Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activity and banning direct-to-public advertising of NHS-funded ADHD and autism assessments.
Recommendation 6
Build capacity and capability across the multidisciplinary workforce to deliver more integrated mental health and neurodevelopmental support, backed by investment in training, supervision and career development.
Recommendation 7
Take an ambitious approach to scaling up safe digital and AI-enabled tools within a digitally enabled and integrated care pathway, while sharing and using data to improve quality of care, efficiency and productivity.
Recommendation 8
Improve data collection and evaluation for mental disorders, ADHD and autism, including through regular population prevalence studies, and update NICE guidelines to strengthen the evidence-base for policy development and implementation.
Recommendation 9
Commission a national public information and education campaign to help people better understand, support and accommodate neurodevelopmental conditions and manage their mental health, supported by a trusted digital platform providing evidence-based information, tools and support without requiring diagnosis.
Recommendation 10
Publish a cross-government mental health strategy this year setting out how this report’s recommendations will be implemented through immediate actions in the next 12 to 24 months and a 10-year reform plan.
All text above is the review's.
No recommendations have this response.