From the Guardian · · 2m
Affluent areas see fastest ADHD and autism Pip claims
Wealthier parts of England are experiencing the sharpest rises in young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic, a trend researchers say reflects faster access to private diagnoses.
In brief
Wealthier parts of England are experiencing the sharpest rises in young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic, a trend researchers say reflects faster access to private diagnoses. Young people in affluent English areas are claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism at the…
Affluent areas lead in Pip claims
Some of England's most prosperous areas such as Wokingham, Warwick, and parts of Hampshire and Surrey have had the sharpest rises in young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic.
Contrast with deprived areas
While Pip claims for ADHD and autism are typically proportionally far higher in deprived areas with higher poverty rates, the fastest growth is now in wealthy places, shrinking the gap between rich and poor.
Surrey Heath sees dramatic surge
Surrey Heath experienced a six hundred thirty percent increase in Pip claims for autism and ADHD since two thousand nineteen, while deprived towns like Mansfield and Great Yarmouth saw thirty and fifty percent increases respectively.
Private diagnoses explain the gap
Researchers at the Nuffield Trust say the trend reflects wealthier families' ability to skip long NHS waiting lists and pay privately for clinical diagnoses, giving them faster access to diagnoses than poorer families.
“substantial inequality in access to private and NHS diagnostic services, meaning people with better resources and more support are often able to get to the front of the queue quicker”
Navigating a difficult claims process
Obtaining a clinical diagnosis increases the chances of a successful Pip claim. More privileged individuals may also navigate the notoriously difficult and unpredictable Pip claims process more effectively than others.
“Obtaining a clinical diagnosis is likely to increase the chances of a successful Pip claim.”
Two hundred five thousand young claimants
About two hundred five thousand sixteen to twenty four year olds received Pip for ADHD or autism in April this year, a more than threefold increase since two thousand nineteen, costing one point three six billion pounds in two thousand twenty five to twenty six.
Government review expected soon
A government-commissioned report led by Prof Peter Fonagy at University College London is expected to recommend a needs-based system whereby overstretched NHS services target patients most acutely affected by ADHD and autism.
What to remember
Young people in affluent English areas are claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism at the fastest-growing rates, likely because wealthier families can afford private diagnoses to skip NHS waiting lists.
