New adult ADHD service in Sussex
ADHD Primary Care Connect
The pilot is now operating in Brighton & Hove, Crawley and Hastings, providing care closer to home through local primary care teams.
Assessments are delivered by Primary Care Practitioners who have received additional training and support from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) specialists.
It forms part of a longer-term programme to improve access to neurodevelopmental assessment and treatment services, with learning used to inform future service development across Sussex.
Referrals for ADHD assessment have increased significantly in recent years, contributing to extended waiting times locally and nationally.
Partners across the Sussex health and care system - including primary care, specialist services and VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) partners - are working together through the Neurodevelopmental Pathway Programme to improve access, experience and outcomes.
About the pilot
The pilot is initially focused on a smaller group of patients so the new approach can be introduced safely, with the right support and learning in place to help shape potential future expansion.
This includes:
- Adults (18+) with suspected ADHD (not for people with an existing ADHD diagnosis)
- Patients whose needs can be safely met within a primary care-led model (and who do not require secondary care mental health services)
- New GP referrals, plus up to 1,800 transfers from the existing Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust waiting list through a clinically managed process
- Around 6,000 patients expected to be seen over 12 months.
The pilot provides assessment and, where appropriate, up to 12 months of holistic support to complement diagnosis and ongoing care. It sits alongside existing services as part of the overall pathway, with patients receiving care locally through neighbourhood primary care teams.
Patients with more complex needs continue to be supported through specialist neurodevelopmental services and the Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs).
The service has been co-developed with GPs, specialist clinicians and members of the Neurodevelopmental Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). This includes patient-facing information which is only shared with those who are offered the service, as it relates specifically to the processes and delivery of the pilot.
Early delivery and initial insight
VCSE partners are helping to shape support routes, including peer groups, webinars and resources, wellbeing and mental health services, and information on reasonable adjustments. These are tailored to individual patient needs and delivered through the service’s care coordinators.
Within the first two months of the pilot going live, the team have supported over 706 referrals and completed 242 assessments* across Brighton & Hove, Crawley and Hastings.
Early delivery also shows strong engagement from practices and uptake of simplified referral routes, alongside effective use of digital tools.
Initial feedback indicates a positive experience across both clinical care and patient wellbeing, including the impact of a dedicated care coordinator role in supporting patients through assessment and follow-up.
Patient feedback to date includes:
- 100% would recommend the service
- 9.0/10 satisfaction with wait time
- 9.3/10 felt listened to during assessment
- 8.8/10 felt the assessment was thorough
- 100% rated overall experience as good or excellent.
NHS partners will use learning from delivery to refine the model, inform future service development and explore application to wider neurodevelopmental pathways.
* data as of 30th April 2026
For further information about the service, email: info@sussexpcpc.org