Urgent Funding for ASD/ADHD Assessment Wait List Reduction

NHS Essex ICB is seeking providers to urgently reduce waiting times for children and adults awaiting ASD and ADHD assessments across Mid and South Essex. This non-recurrent funding initiative aims to transfer approximately 89 of the longest-waiting patients to accredited independent and NHS providers on existing frameworks who can mobilise additional capacity on a temporary basis. The contract runs from 23 March 2026 to 30 June 2026 (2 months and 16 days) with a total budget of £189,877. This urgent award has been authorised under exceptional circumstances due to the short notice of funding release and the significant patient safety risks of delayed assessments. Providers should have existing accreditation on CYP and Adult assessment frameworks and the ability to rapidly scale capacity to accept transferred cases.