Recorded referrals
16,115
Open suspected-autism referrals
People whose suspected-autism referral was recorded as open at some point in March 2026.
A count shows scale, not comparative performance.
NHS commissioning and referral evidence
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan
FamilyFX evidence snapshotMarch 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
Autism referral data for NHS Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester publishes more detail than many systems about its 2026 autism and ADHD pathway changes. Its current page says non-urgent bookings are being scheduled more gradually and clinical need affects priority, while existing referrals keep their original referral date. That live position matters alongside the March data snapshot below.
Share of referrals
92.4%
Open for at least 13 weeks
The share of recorded open suspected-autism referrals that had been open for 13 weeks or longer.
England: 89.7%. 2.7 percentage points higher than the England figure.
Share of referrals
2.5%
First contact within 13 weeks
Among referrals open for at least 13 weeks, the share with a first attended care contact recorded within 13 weeks of referral.
England: 3.7%. 1.2 percentage points lower than the England figure.
Share of referrals
90.8%
No first care contact recorded
Among referrals open for at least 13 weeks, the share without a first care contact recorded in the dataset.
England: 82.7%. 8.1 percentage points higher than the England figure.
What these figures mean
A system signal, not a waiting-time promise
The NHS England measures follow suspected-autism referrals from the referral date to the first attended care contact recorded in the Mental Health Services Dataset. FamilyFX preserves the published counts, shows the numerator and denominator behind each derived percentage, and compares only measures with the same definition and reporting month.
The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Greater Manchester ICB row. Published counts are rounded, so derived percentages are approximate.
Important limitation
This dataset is incomplete by design
These are official statistics in development, not a complete autism waiting list. Most child autism assessments take place in community paediatric services whose activity cannot yet be identified in the Community Services Dataset. March 2026 data from Psychiatry UK was incomplete, and a missing care-contact date can mean a contact was not submitted, the person was still waiting, or the referral closed without a first appointment. The figures should not be used to rate an ICB or predict an individual wait.
Show the calculation behind each figure
| Measure | Numerator | Denominator | NHS codes | Calculation note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open suspected-autism referrals | 16,115 | Not applicable | ASD16 | The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Greater Manchester ICB row. |
| Open for at least 13 weeks | 14,885 | 16,115 | ASD16 + ASD16a | The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Greater Manchester ICB row. FamilyFX divided ASD16a by ASD16 and rounded the result to one decimal place. |
| First contact within 13 weeks | 375 | 14,885 | ASD16a + ASD18 | The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Greater Manchester ICB row. FamilyFX divided ASD18 by ASD16a and rounded the result to one decimal place. |
| No first care contact recorded | 13,510 | 14,885 | ASD16a + ASD18b | The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Greater Manchester ICB row. FamilyFX divided ASD18b by ASD16a and rounded the result to one decimal place. A missing contact is not the same as a confirmed wait. |
What has changed, and what it means for families
pathwayChildren, young people and adults
Assessment arrangements changed from April 2026
NHS Greater Manchester says new non-urgent ADHD and autism bookings with Right to Choose providers are being scheduled more gradually. It says referrals remain on the waiting list and keep their original referral date, with clinical need affecting priority.
Why this matters: For an individual update, contact the provider holding the referral. If needs become more urgent, ask that provider to review the current clinical information.
Read the source from NHS Greater ManchesterADHD and autism assessment · published 1 April 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
foiChildren, young people and adults
The ICB has published what it held about demand and capacity
In FOI 2026/1712, NHS Greater Manchester pointed to its public assessment pages and said its medium-term planning framework did not explicitly identify ADHD or autism assessment waiting times as a separate planning requirement at that stage.
Why this matters: The disclosure adds transparency about the documents held, but it is not a current personal waiting-time tool. The pathway page and referral provider remain the useful next stops.
Read the source from NHS Greater ManchesterADHD and autism demand, capacity and patient choice · published 11 May 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
ADHD management informationMarch 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
ADHD referral data for NHS Greater Manchester
NHS England now publishes ICB-level management information about referrals that may relate to ADHD assessment. These figures add useful scale and waiting-band context, but they are not a confirmed ADHD waiting list.
Read this first
These are referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment. They are not confirmed diagnoses and should not be read as an exact local ADHD waiting list.
Open referrals
At least 32,775
Possible ADHD referrals still open
Open mental-health referrals recorded under neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism, including referrals that have already had a first contact.
Open referrals
At least 29,225
Open for more than 13 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the three published bands above 13 weeks. This describes referral age, not a promised assessment date.
Open referrals
At least 19,625
Open for more than 52 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the 52-to-104-week and 104-weeks-or-more bands.
Open referrals
At least 22,405
No first contact recorded
Open possible-ADHD referrals without a first care contact in the submitted Mental Health Services Dataset record.
Monthly referrals
At least 1,515
New possible referrals in March
Possible ADHD referrals newly recorded during March 2026. It is a monthly flow measure rather than a waiting-list total.
Possible open referrals by recorded age
Each bar uses ADHD003 for the same reporting month. Bar lengths compare age groups within this displayed footprint only.
0 to 430
People aged 0 to 4
5 to 178,570
People aged 5 to 17
18 to 245,920
People aged 18 to 24
25+18,255
People aged 25+
UnknownAt least 0
Age not recorded in the source row
How the figures were built
A traceable system signal
Measures ADHD003 to ADHD007 come from the Mental Health Services Dataset. NHS England identifies referrals whose primary reason is recorded as neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism, then publishes their status and time bands by age. FamilyFX keeps the official definitions, source codes and reporting month visible and does not combine the figures into a score or rank.
FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band values for predecessor ICB code QOP. Values are rounded to the nearest five, and asterisks marking small suppressed cells are retained as lower bounds.
Important limitation
The publication is still developing
The referral category can include conditions other than ADHD, while some ADHD pathways, Right to Choose providers and independent providers do not submit complete data. An open referral may also remain open after assessment because medication reviews or continuing care are still managed by the provider. The figures therefore cannot give an exact ADHD waiting list, a diagnosis count or an individual waiting-time estimate.
Show the NHS measures behind these figures
| Measure | Displayed value | NHS codes | Calculation note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Possible ADHD referrals still open | At least 32,775 | ADHD003 | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| Open for more than 13 weeks | At least 29,225 | ADHD003b + ADHD003c + ADHD003d | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| Open for more than 52 weeks | At least 19,625 | ADHD003c + ADHD003d | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| No first contact recorded | At least 22,405 | ADHD004 | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| New possible referrals in March | At least 1,515 | ADHD007 | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
Continue with local support
ICB information describes the wider NHS system. Council SEND routes, Local Offers and impartial advice are organised through the relevant local area.