Coventry & Warwickshire ADHD Referral Update: What Changed and What Adults Need to Know
Last year, many adults across Coventry & Warwickshire were shocked to discover they could no longer access NHS ADHD referrals locally if they were over 25.
For many people, it felt devastating.
Not just because of the practical barriers, but because it reinforced a message neurodivergent adults hear far too often: you’ve struggled this long already, so just keep coping.
At the time, I wrote about the impact this was having on people who were already exhausted, burnt out, confused, and trying to make sense of lifelong difficulties. Many had spent years masking, self-blaming, or feeling like they were somehow “failing at life” before finally gathering the courage to ask for support.
This week, Coventry & Warwickshire’s NHS system quietly published a new ADHD and autism policy update:
The announcement appears to remove the previous age-based restriction and reopen referrals across age groups.
That means adults who were previously turned away may now be able to return to their GP and ask for referral again.
So… has everything been fixed?
Not exactly.
The update is positive in some important ways, particularly because referrals no longer appear to be restricted purely by age. But there are still some important questions about how this will work in practice.
The new framework also introduces tighter commissioning requirements around providers, including Right to Choose providers. This includes things like:
medication management
titration processes
physical monitoring
governance standards
ongoing support arrangements
In reality, this means the experience people have may still vary depending on:
their GP surgery
which providers are being accepted locally
waiting lists
and whether Right to Choose pathways are being supported consistently.
Why Right to Choose matters
For many adults seeking ADHD assessment in England, Right to Choose (RTC) pathways can make a significant difference.
Under RTC, patients can sometimes access alternative NHS-funded providers outside their local service. In some cases, this can mean substantially shorter waiting times for assessment and support compared to local NHS pathways.
However, the national picture around RTC has become increasingly complicated, with some NHS areas introducing tighter rules or restrictions around which providers they will work with.
So while referrals may technically be “open again,” the reality of accessing support may still feel confusing or inconsistent for many people.
The people we shouldn’t forget
One of the biggest unanswered questions is what happened to the adults affected during the restriction period itself.
Some people were:
told they were too old to be referred
discouraged from pursuing assessment
left unsupported while struggling with work, mental health, burnout, parenting, or daily functioning
or simply gave up trying.
There also seems to have been very little publicity around this latest announcement, meaning many people may not even realise the policy has changed.
If you were previously told you couldn’t access a referral locally because of your age, it may be worth going back to your GP surgery and asking for an updated conversation.
Diagnosis is not the only support people need
As someone working with neurodivergent adults locally, I also think it’s important to say this clearly:
Support should not begin after diagnosis.
People deserve understanding, practical strategies, accommodations, peer support, and compassionate spaces while they are waiting too.
A diagnosis can be life-changing for some people. But nobody should have to survive unsupported for years just to prove they’re struggling enough to deserve help.
And honestly? Many neurodivergent adults have already spent a lifetime doing exactly that.
What now?
If this change affects you, or someone you care about, it may be worth having another conversation with your GP surgery about referral options, including Right to Choose pathways.
And if you’re sitting in that frustrating in-between space — waiting, questioning yourself, trying to keep functioning while your brain feels like 47 browser tabs screaming at once — please know you’re not the only one.
Alongside my counselling and coaching work, I also run ND BrainSpace peer support groups for neurodivergent adults in Warwickshire and online. They’re informal, supportive spaces where people can talk honestly about ADHD, autism, burnout, masking, late discovery, and all the messy real-life bits that often get missed from the clinical conversations.
More info here if useful:
https://www.ndbrainspace.org/
https://www.chooseyourway.co.uk/