A government review into youth unemployment is set to recommend providing immediate mental health support to hundreds of thousands of young people with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression. The move aims to reduce long waiting times on National Health Service (NHS) lists and address the cycle of unemployment and reliance on benefits.
Alan Milburn, the former Labour health secretary leading the review, is expected to propose offering counseling services or online resources to individuals with less severe conditions rather than waiting for formal diagnoses, which can take months or even years. According to Milburn, this approach would alleviate pressure on NHS services, allowing more intensive treatment to be reserved for those with severe mental health issues, while also helping young people stay in work and avoid becoming trapped in the benefits system.
The report will recommend instituting a maximum waiting time for access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), which provide assessments and treatment for individuals under 18. Referrals to mental health services for children surged to over one million in 2024-25, nearly doubling the 564,000 recorded in 2018-19. At the end of the most recent year, 35% of these children were awaiting treatment, with over 60,000 having been on waiting lists for more than two years.
Mental health conditions have become a leading factor for young people aged 16 to 24 being outside education, training, or employment, with one in five citing mental health as their primary health issue—a rate that has more than doubled over the past decade. Research by the Health Foundation indicates that restoring ill health rates among this age group to 2014 levels could boost the UK economy by £7.3 billion annually.
Milburn’s recommendations draw on a review led by Professor Peter Fonagy, a psychoanalyst at University College London. Fonagy’s interim findings suggest individuals displaying ADHD symptoms should not automatically receive formal diagnoses and emphasize the benefits of participation in education, employment, or other activity for mental health. His final report is expected to highlight the importance of accessible, early intervention services.
Milburn described the current system as a “vicious cycle” in which young people with mild mental health issues remain on NHS waiting lists, which exacerbates their conditions and increases the likelihood of unemployment and benefit dependency. He argued that community-based counseling and online support would provide faster, more effective help for those with emerging or milder symptoms.
The review also considers expanding “talking therapies,” mental health support teams in schools and colleges, and early support hubs—drop-in centres designed to offer immediate help for young people. It highlights concerns that young people with milder needs often wait for “overly intensive or medical interventions,” which can delay or prevent those with more serious conditions from accessing care, leaving them to rely on emergency or crisis services.
Charities have endorsed similar reforms. Sarah Hughes, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, called for a “much faster open access system” so that young people receive meaningful support when they first seek help rather than being left on waiting lists.
The Health Foundation’s forthcoming report warns that current NHS mental health services are primarily designed for complex or persistent conditions and may not be appropriate for those with mild to moderate needs. It supports the expansion of community-based interventions accessible without formal referral or diagnosis, a central recommendation expected from the Fonagy review.