The government has launched an independent review led by Professor Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist and National Clinical Advisor on Children and Young People's Mental Health, which will look at how the health system currently delivers mental health, autism and ADHD services and whether children and adults are able to access the support they need. The findings will be published in summer 2026 and will inform the government's 10 Year Health Plan.
Responding to news of the review launch, NCB said:
“This review, with its expert leadership, is a critical opportunity to tackle the generational crisis facing children, young people and their families.
The ongoing increase in mental health needs and neurodivergence has rapidly outstripped the ability of the health system to respond. The result is growing waiting times and a lack of appropriate support, even when problems escalate to the most serious levels.
There is much practice and knowledge to build on, and the review’s timescale is right. Action is needed quickly. The review must take a system-wide approach. The impacts of missed identification and support are intensified when education settings don’t know how to respond or wait for interventions from other services that never materialise.
We know from the What Works in SEND programme that health and education services working together to identify needs, provide support, refer and diagnose as appropriate can transform the experience of children and families.
The findings and recommendations must then be taken forward by both the NHS Transformation Programme and in reforms to the SEND system. This is needed to ensure services have the necessary resources, there is clear guidance on how to use them most effectively, and the whole system is future-proofed for this generation of children and young people, and the next.”