FOI 2026/1777

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please provide information relating to Indicative Activity Plans (IAPs) for independent providers delivering Adult ADHD Right to Choose assessment and treatment services commissioned by your ICB for the 2026/2027 financial year.

Specifically, I request the following:

1. Please confirm how many independent providers currently have an Indicative Activity Plan allocation of fewer than 100 Adult ADHD referrals for the 2026/2027 financial year.

2. Please provide the overall range of IAP allocations across all such providers (i.e. the lowest and highest allocation values), where available.

If exact figures cannot be disclosed due to cost, commercial sensitivity, or risk of identification, please instead provide:

• a banded distribution of provider allocations (e.g. ranges such as 0–100, 101–500, 501–1000, etc.), or the narrowest anonymised grouping of allocations that can be provided without identifying individual providers.
• If allocations are made based on cost and not number of referrals, please categorise based on this instead.
• If possible, I would also be grateful for any summary statistics that can be provided without risk of identification (for example, general distribution patterns across providers).

To reduce burden, I am not requesting provider names, contract values, or any commercially sensitive details—only aggregated or anonymised information sufficient to understand the distribution of capacity across providers.

If any part of this request is likely to be refused under exemptions within the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would be grateful if you could apply Section 16 (duty to advise and assist) to suggest a narrower framing that would enable partial disclosure.

I ask for that assistance as there is a clear public interest case for this data. First of all, the thousands of people in the region who are waiting for Adult ADHD assessment and care currently have the option to choose providers to reduce their waiting time but have almost no data on IAPs which now could be one of the most significant factors influencing their wait time. Secondly, following the recent consultation on changes to Autism and ADHD care under NHS Greater Manchester, it is reasonable to expect that those who care about or are affected by those changes can access at least some data regarding IAPs, which are also likely to have a significant effect on how services are delivered.

1. NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (NHS GM) can confirm that there are currently 46 Right to Choose (RTC) providers operating within the Adult ADHD market. However, NHS GM is unable to disclose the precise number of providers with Indicative Activity Plan (IAP) allocations below specific thresholds, as this information forms part of ongoing commissioning and contractual arrangements within a commercially sensitive and rapidly evolving provider market.

The Adult ADHD RTC market continues to change frequently, with NHS GM currently becoming aware of approximately one new provider entering the market each week. Subject to compliance with NHS GM commissioning policy and quality requirements, newly approved providers may receive indicative activity sufficient to support assessment and treatment of individuals identified as highest clinical risk.

Across the entirety of the RTC Adult ADHD IAP programme, NHS GM’s current planning assumption is that approximately 2,000 assessments will be offered during the 2026/2027 financial year. This relates specifically to the RTC market and is separate from additional assessment and treatment capacity delivered through locally commissioned NHS services, including NHS provider trusts and NHS GM commissioned services.

The requested information is exempt from disclosure under:

The requested information is withheld under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of the organisations involved.

Section 43(2) – Prejudice to Commercial Interests

Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it)”.

Indicative Activity Plan allocations form part of contractual and operational arrangements between the commissioning body and individual providers. These allocations reflect provider-specific capacity, activity assumptions, and service delivery models.

Public interest test

Factors favouring disclosure.

There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that there is openness and transparency in the spending of public money. Transparency is likely to increase confidence in procurement processes and the purchasing decisions made by NHS GM. It also enables the public to understand whether NHS GM was getting value for money from its purchasing decisions.

Factors favouring non-disclosure.

Disclosure of provider-level allocations would reveal commercially sensitive information relating to operational capacity and market position, which could disadvantage providers in a competitive environment, and future commissioning negotiations and procurement processes.

Releasing this information would prejudice the commercial interests of both NHS GM and its commissioned providers by revealing commissioning strategy, negotiating positions, and commercially sensitive data. Protecting commercially sensitive information permits fair and effective commissioning and system management, ensuring that healthcare services are commissioned and delivered effectively.

Balancing Test.

After considering the arguments outlined above, we have decided to withhold this information as the public interest in maintaining a fair and sustainable commissioning process outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

2. NHS GM is unable to disclose precise allocation ranges or provider-level distribution information for the reasons outlined above under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

However, to assist you, NHS GM can confirm that indicative allocations within the Right to Choose market are being managed within a fixed overall budget envelope and are intended to support prioritisation of individuals with the highest level of clinical need and risk. As additional providers enter the market, indicative activity assumptions are subject to ongoing review and redistribution.

In addition to activity within the Right to Choose market, NHS GM has also invested additional funding into locally commissioned ADHD services in order to increase assessment and treatment capacity within local NHS pathways, including NHS provider trusts and NHS GM commissioned services.

Further information regarding the Adult ADHD pathway and commissioning approach is publicly available on the NHS GM website and will continue to be updated regularly:

NHS Greater Manchester ADHD and Autism Assessments Information Page