If a young person is at immediate risk and needs urgent help with their mental health, please call the 24/7 urgent mental health line by calling NHS 111 and choosing the mental health option.
This newsletter is to keep you informed about the waiting list for an appointment with the ADHD and Autism Team, and to share updates from the team. We would like to thank you for your patience.
If you have already attended or received an appointment, please disregard this newsletter.
This page is updated every 2 months. It was last updated: June 2026
June Updates
Following your feedback, we have moved our bi-monthly newsletters to MyMind. We are working hard to make sure we are communicating with families in the best way possible.
In the next couple of months, we're looking forward to trialling our new Waiting Support Team. More details will be in our next newsletter and more information will be available on the MyMind website.
Waits
Please work out average waits from your child’s referral date. Please note that these are average figures as of June 2026. Your waiting time may be shorter or longer than this. Our team is working hard to meet the demand on the service.
ADHD
The average wait for ADHD assessment is currently 39 months from the date of receipt of referral. Appointments are currently being offered to those referred in March 2023.
There is around a 3-4 month wait for a diagnostic decision following your child’s ADHD assessment appointment.
Autism
The average wait for East Cheshire autism assessment is currently 39 months from the date of receipt of referral.
Appointments are currently being offered to those referred in March 2023.
The average wait for West Cheshire autism assessment is currently 23 months from the date of receipt of referral.
Appointments are being offered to those referred in July 2024.
Over the past year the team have been involved in the Rapid Improvement Process, which has taken clinicians' time away from completing assessments. This is one main factor that has impacted on waiting times. The improvements the clinicians are currently working on will be shared in the next newsletter.
Why do wait times change?
Wait times fluctuate and are reliant on many variables, these include:
Increased number of referrals received
Transfers into and out of area from another health provider
Referrals closed as assessments completed by another health provider
Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict waits for each person on the wait list. Only wait times for those currently being assessed can be shared.
For help with a variety of concerns, such as mood and mental health, lifestyle and neurodevelopmental conditions please visit https://www.mymind.org.uk/helping-myself
Every referral is triaged by clinicians or a multi-agency panel. Referrals accepted onto wait lists have to have sufficient supporting evidence as per the NICE guidelines and have also scored above threshold on relevant questionnaires. This ensures that only children and young people appropriate for assessment are accepted onto the wait lists.
Schools receive a copy of the referral outcome letters and are able to make reasonable adjustments without a diagnosis as per the SEND code of practice and Equality Act 2010.
Next steps
As soon as an appointment becomes available, we will be in contact with you. Please note all appointments and other correspondence are sent via email from the patient record system, please contact the team if you need information in another format.
For autism assessment appointments you will be sent a link to pre-assessment questionnaires. These include a form for school to complete. Appointments can only be given once both home and school forms are completed and returned.
On the MyMind website there are support services and websites that may be helpful while you and your child are waiting. The website contains links to national and local agencies for support for yourself and your child at home and at school which may help with ADHD, autism and sleep related topics.
If you are concerned about your child’s mental health and well-being
Please visit the MyMind website to refer to Children and Young People's Mental Health Services.
What to do if you or your child is in a mental health crisis
Please call NHS 111 and select the mental health option to talk to a mental health professional. They will be able to support you to get the help/advice you need. The service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You should still call 999 or go to A&E if you have an immediate, life-threatening emergency requiring mental or physical health assistance.
Should you make the decision for your child to be accepted to another service’s waiting list and/or your child has received an ADHD or autism diagnosis from another service, we appreciate you informing the team as soon as you can.
Participation and Engagement
The Children, Young People and Families Participation and Engagement (P&E) Network captures feedback and make sure that you are given lots of opportunities to have a view and a voice about the support you, or your child, receive when you are seen by our services.
Working with us to improve our Cheshire Autism & ADHD services
Every two months, our P&E team host focus groups for parents and carers. Our next groups will be in August.
Over the last year, the ADHD and Autism team have been working hard to make changes from your feedback.
If you'd like to find out more and get involved in the group, please email the P&E team:
Claire Evans - Participation and Engagement Lead: claire.evans71@nhs.net
Catherine Rudd - Participation and Engagement Worker - Cheshire: catherine.rudd1@nhs.net
Find out more about Participation and Engagement and how to Get Involved.
