Health Secretary Wes Streeting is to launch an independent review into rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services in England.
Streeting has previously suggested mental health conditions are being “overdiagnosed”, and the government has argued that increased pressure on the system has led to long waits for people with an urgent need for help.
He said: “We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding… That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the review is being launched alongside extra funding of £688m but it also comes as ministers seek to tackle a growing welfare bill.
Earlier this year, the government was forced to climbdown on planned cuts to disability benefits, including for those with mental health conditions, after facing major backlash from more than 100 of Labour’s own backbenchers.
But on Monday, the prime minister promised a renewed push on reforming the welfare system, which is said had “trapped people in poverty” and “wrote young people off as too ill to work”.
Led by clinical psychologist Prof Peter Fonagy, the new review’s findings will be published in Summer 2026.
Prof Fonagy said the aim was “to test assumptions rigorously and listen closely to those most affected, so that our recommendations are both honest and genuinely useful”.
As of March this year, around four million working-age adults in England and Wales claimed either disability or incapacity benefit – up from almost three million in 2019, according to research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
The DHSC said the increased pressure on the NHS “means that for too long, people with acute needs have faced long waits, had to navigate overstretched services, experienced inequalities in care and felt abandoned when support was needed most”.
Mental health charity Mind welcomed the government’s announcement and signalled their willingness to contribute to the review.
“This is a huge opportunity to really understand what is driving increasing levels of mental illness, especially among our young people,” chief executive Dr Sarah Hughes said.
President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Lade Smith, called for the review to “rigorously identify gaps in care” while considering the “many complex reasons” people reach out for help.
The National Autistic Society said: “We need urgent action because, while we are currently seeing the number of people seeking an assessment levelling out, the average waiting time is rocketing.”
