Researchers from NIHR HealthTech Research Centre Mental Health (MindTech) and the University of Nottingham, Prof Chris Hollis and Prof Kapil Sayal have been involved in shaping the UK Government’s independent review into the prevalence of mental health conditions, autism and ADHD, led by British psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist Professor Peter Fonagy.

The report published on 9 October examines trends in the prevalence of autism, ADHD and mental health conditions and highlights the urgent need for reform of current care pathways. The review sets out a series of recommendations to improve the current system, address treatment gaps and provide better care. The report recommends a shift away from diagnosis being the primary gateway to support and towards a needs-led assessment with a more holistic approach and personalised support.  

Chris Hollis, who is a professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Digital Mental Health at the University of Nottingham and Director of MindTech, led the independent review’s ADHD Topic group from January 2026, said "Systems of ADHD care in the UK are broken and require urgent reform. People can be left years waiting for an assessment often without any support and then may not be able to access essential treatment and support following a diagnosis.

The review recommends a radical shift to integrated, needs-led and digitally enabled systems of care focused on improving long-term functioning, participation and wellbeing across the lifespan.” 

The review recommends that by scaling up digital solutions and safe AI-enabled pathways, integrating clearer national standards and providing sustained investment, the system could better support the needs of patients. Interventions which can be accessed flexibly and remotely to close treatment gaps to ensure support gets to people who need it, quicker and easier. Improving continuity of care, as no matter where someone lives, they have access to the same interventions. Alongside this, developing a more community focused approach to care, by working with the organisations and people that support young people with mental health difficulties, such as parents, schools, could ensure better support systems. 

The improvements suggested by the report align with the NHS 10-year health plan for England working towards delivering better care for all patients through new healthcare technologies, innovations and medicines. 

The Nottingham based research centre MindTech which is hosted by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), focuses on harnessing innovative digital technology and collaborative research to improve the clinical care and outcomes of people with neurodevelopmental conditions and mental health diagnosis. MindTech is helping to bridge the gap between evidence-based research and national policy, finding solutions that actually work for children, young people and adults. MindTech work closely with people with lived experience, healthcare services, community organisations and charities to improve access to support and strengthen mental healthcare. 

The research team have already successfully integrated proven solutions and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended tools into various NHS Trusts around the UK, ranging from diagnostic tools to gamified digital solutions and remote psychoeducation tools. These include QbTest, Lumi Nova and ORBIT.  

QbTest is a digital diagnostic tool for ADHD used in-conjunction with existing methods of diagnosis, to speed up clinical diagnosis. Lumi Nova is a digital therapeutic game developed by BfB Labs for children experiencing difficulties with fears, worries or anxiety. Lumi Nova is available through schools without the need for referral and has supported over 20,000 children and their families so far. The Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics (ORBIT) is a digital psychoeducation tool that teaches young people with tics and Tourette syndrome strategies to better manage and control their condition. 

These interventions are already helping to alleviate waiting list times, save the NHS money and improve the access to support and treatment when young people need it by delivering tools digitally and at scale. 

Additionally, the UKRI-funded programme Digital Youth at the University of Nottingham and MindTech has also made a major contribution to the review’s understanding of how the rapidly changing digital environment is influencing young people’s mental health. Chris Hollis said, “The Digital Youth programme has helped us to understand better the role played by the ‘digital engagement’ in the emotional lives and mental health of adolescents, so that policymakers and practitioners can tailor their support effectively.” 

Professor Hollis concluded “I’m proud of my contribution to the independent Fonagy review and the potential impact the review will have in improving systems of care and the lives of people with ADHD, autism and mental health conditions.” 

MindTech has recently launched its new initiative MindTech Bridge, with the Mental Health Goals Programme and working with a growing coalition of NHS Trusts, to develop, adopt and scale evidence-based mental health technology across healthcare systems. Its work aligns directly with the review’s recommendations to build an integrated digital infrastructure platform for organising care pathways and to improve real-world data collection and evaluation.

Original topic group chapters on ADHD, autism and co-occurring conditions underpinning the full report will be published separately.

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If you have lived experience of any conditions mentioned within this article and would like to get involved in research, please consider applying to join MindTech's Lived Experience Access to Research Network or NIHR's Be Part of Research.

To find out more or get involved, visit the MindTech Bridge website or contact them on LinkedIn.