ADHD UK — National ADHD Charity for Adults, Children & Families

ADHD UK is a national charity for anyone whose life ADHD touches — people who are ADHD themselves, and the parents, partners, teachers, employers and colleagues around them. It is less a service provider than a practical base camp: somewhere to work out how diagnosis works in your area, what you are entitled to at school or work, and where to find other people navigating the same mismatch between how ADHD minds work and how most systems are built.

The charity was founded in 2020 by Henry Shelford, who is ADHD and now leads it as chief executive, and Dr Max Davie, an NHS paediatrician specialising in ADHD who chairs the trustees. It is registered with the Charity Commission (1188365) and takes no government money or grants, relying on donations — which gives it room to be pointed in its advocacy on NHS waiting times and access. Its work runs across five strands: information, peer support, research, advocacy and awareness. In practice that means free online video support groups organised by theme, such as recently diagnosed adults, careers and parenting, alongside Facebook groups, a teachers' group and a volunteer-answered community forum.

Much of what ADHD UK offers is designed to be used straight away. There is an adult screening survey, guidance on NHS Right to Choose and private routes, a postcode search for local waiting times, and material on EHCPs and the SEND system for families. For work and study it publishes guidance on reasonable adjustments, interview adjustments and Access to Work, and provides ready-made letters for exam arrangements and for challenging ADHD-related fines and debt. It also runs a Strategy Discovery Platform, a podcast and science video series, a paid coaching marketplace, an employer and line-manager coaching package, and a network of more than 100 volunteer ambassadors.