Prescriptions for ADHD medication across Hampshire leap by a quarter in a single year

The uptick in prescribing comes amid a shortage of key drugs used to treat the condition.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition which impacts many people across the UK. Adults and children with the condition may have difficulty concentrating, act impulsively and appear restless.

Figures from the NHS Open Prescribing service show 6,157 patients received ADHD medication in the former NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight integrated care board area in the three months to June.

This was a rise from 4,836 patients during the same period last year, and is a jump of 74 per cent from 3,529 in the spring of 2020.

The ADHD Foundation said just over 200,000 of an estimated 2m UK citizens with the condition are receiving medication.

Tony Lloyd, CEO of the charity, said ADHD has been significantly underdiagnosed – particularly among women. He attributes the increase in prescribing to "rebalancing" this underdiagnosis.

However, he added: "Medication should not be used in isolation and should form part of a range of strategies and lifestyle choices to manage ADHD successfully."

In September, the NHS issued a national patient safety alert about a shortage of certain drugs used to treat the condition. The shortages are expected to be resolved between October and December.

Henry Shelford, CEO of the ADHD UK charity, said: "The NHS should have realised that this was happening and had a plan in place. Instead, people are only finding out when their pharmacy can't supply. They've been left stranded with no support.

"Medication is carefully given with dosage and type worked out over months. The idea it can be chopped and changed is wrong."

"This is devastating for individuals across the country and will be life-changing for some. People with ADHD are being let down by the NHS – this is just the latest way in which we are being failed”.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We continue to work closely with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the UK."