He asked what information the government holds on the number of children waiting for an ADHD assessment and the median length of time for a wait.
MSP Tom Arthur, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, said that the quality of data on neurodevelopmental services needs improvement, admitting that the government “does not hold data relating to the number of children waiting for an ADHD assessment or to the length of waits”.
This information, instead, is held by individual health boards, he said, adding that work is underway to "understand the picture more clearly".
Mr Johnson said that the minister’s response, and the fact that the government does not have centralised data on wait times, “speaks for itself”.
He told The Herald on Sunday that it is ‘disappointing’ that the Scottish Government does not hold this information, particularly when reducing waiting times has been identified as a government priority.
“We have a crisis in ADHD and autism diagnoses, with waiting times going through the roof. Urgent action needs to be taken, and the fact that the government doesn’t have the data – and doesn’t seem to have even asked for the data – really defies belief.
“We cannot address the crisis, nor come up with solutions if we don’t actually have the facts.
“It’s time that the Scottish Government actually treated this situation with the urgency that it deserves, because right now, children are going to have to wait until they are adults before they have even the hope of diagnosis, let alone the support and therapy that they need.”
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The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) is an alliance of specialist providers for children with additional support needs (ASN) that campaigns for better treatment and access to treatment for young people. The campaign group regularly gathers information on wait times for referrals and the number of children with ASN in Scotland, which has reached a record high.
A spokesperson for the SCSC called it “deeply concerning” that the Scottish Government “lacks basic knowledge” of waiting times and the total number of ADHD diagnoses.
“Many children are left undiagnosed for lengthy periods of time, often waiting until they become adults to be assessed, which causes great distress.”
Information on waiting times for referrals is most often published in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and reports show that individual health boards have varying approaches to how they collect and report the data.
According to a report from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice), a 2024 FOI request revealed that the average wait time for an adult ADHD assessment in Edinburgh was 23.5 months. Information released around the same time by NHS Tayside reported that although the health board did not track ADHD wait times specifically, the waiting time for children referred to its neurodevelopmental services was almost three years (154 weeks).
The SCSC spokesperson said that this raised concerns about the “severe backlog”, due in part to better recognition of the condition. The group called on the Scottish Government to take a more direct role in gathering and analysing data.
“It is clearly difficult to address the issue of tackling lengthy waiting times for an ADHD assessment, and how to address these, when the Government is not fully aware of what the current position is.
“It is vital that this data is available so we can have a fuller understanding of the landscape, and that health boards record waiting times for an ADHD assessment on a consistent basis, with that information being made readily available to the Scottish Government.”
When asked what information the Scottish Government holds on ADHD diagnoses and waiting times, a government spokesperson directed questions about data to Public Health Scotland (PHS).
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In response, PHS explained that it cannot make an estimate based on the information available from health boards.
“Data is available for admissions for people in which a diagnosis of ADHD has been recorded in their discharge diagnoses, but it should be noted that their diagnosis of ADHD may not have been received during that admission, and ADHD may not have been the main reason for that admission.”
Despite the concerns over what data is available, Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said long waits are "simply unacceptable – especially for children who need help the most".
"That's why we're investing an additional £500,000 this year to improve access to care for children, young people and families.
"Together with Cosla, we're taking action to review how services are delivered, and we've set up a new Children and Young People's Neurodevelopment Taskforce to drive real improvements.
"Children shouldn't have to wait for a diagnosis to get the support they need. We're working with health boards and local authorities to ensure neurodivergent children and families get the right help at the right time.”
