Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched an independent review into the sharp rise in demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services. The move comes as 4.4 million working-age people claim sickness or incapacity benefits – an increase of 1.2 million since 2019.
The review will examine diagnosis rates, support provision, and factors driving rising demand. Professor Peter Fonagy, national clinical adviser on children and young people's mental health, will lead the investigation. Findings are expected next summer.
Streeting told The Times: «I know from personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can't get a diagnosis or the right support. I also know, from speaking to clinicians, how the diagnosis of these conditions is sharply rising.»
The scale of the challenge is significant. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that 1.3 million people claim disability benefits primarily for mental health or behavioural conditions – 44% of all claimants. More than half of the rise in working-age disability benefit claims since the pandemic is due to mental health or behavioural conditions.
Data shows prevalence of common mental health conditions among 16 to 64-year-olds increased from 15.5% in 1993 to 22.6% in 2023-24. Autism assessment waiting lists have surged 13-fold between April 2019 and September 2025.
Review approach
Streeting emphasized the need for an evidence-based approach. «We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding of what we know, what we don't know, and what these patterns tell us about our mental health system, autism and ADHD services. That's the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support,» he told The Times.
Professor Fonagy said the review would draw on research, lived experience, and frontline clinicians. «This review will only be worthwhile if it is built on solid ground,» he told The Times. «My aim is to test assumptions rigorously and listen closely to those most affected, so that our recommendations are both honest and genuinely useful.»
The review will incorporate insights from academics, doctors, epidemiological experts, charities, and patients.
Welfare reform context
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled on Monday that welfare reform remains a government priority. He described the current system as «trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work».
Ministers withdrew plans earlier this year to reform disability benefits, including for mental health conditions, following opposition from Labour backbenchers.
Stakeholder reactions
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, welcomed the review as a critical opportunity. «This is a key moment to understand how the social, economic and technological changes of the last decade have affected people's mental health and how we best respond,» he said.
Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, called it a chance to understand drivers of mental illness. «More people need help than services can see, people's mental health deteriorates while they wait, and when people do get access to support it is not always appropriate to their needs,» she said. «We also need to be tackling the social and economic factors that are helping to drive increased demand.»
Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the study must «rigorously identify gaps in care, explore which methods of treatment and support already work and be led by the best available evidence».
Baroness Anne Longfield, executive chairwoman of the Centre for Young Lives, highlighted deteriorating youth mental health. «This crisis cannot continue, and this review can be the catalyst for delivering vastly improved support for children, young people and their families, when they need it, and where they need it,» she said.
Government response
The government has allocated £688 million in extra funding for mental health services and is hiring 8,500 more mental health workers. NHS talking therapies are expanding and the number of mental health emergency departments is increasing.
A 2024 report by Lord Darzi on the NHS previously identified rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services, noting access difficulties for many autistic individuals and those with ADHD.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
