- According to a new analysis by the Nuffield Trust, England's most affluent areas have recorded the fastest increase in 16 and 17-year-olds receiving Personal Independence Payments (Pip) for ADHD and autism, with rates in the least-deprived fifth of neighbourhoods more than tripling from 0.8 per cent in 2019 to 2.5 per cent in 2025.
- While the overall proportion of teenagers claiming Pip for these conditions remains highest in less affluent areas, expanding from 2.1 per cent to 5.1 per cent over the six-year period, spending on Pip for young people in the 40 per cent least-deprived neighbourhoods grew nearly fourfold to £87 million in 2025.
- Across England as a whole, the total number of 16 and 17-year-olds claiming Pip for autism and ADHD climbed from 16,045 (1.3 per cent) in 2019 to 51,148 (3.4 per cent) in 2025, bringing total annual spending for this demographic to an estimated £296 million.
- The health think tank highlighted an association between white ethnicity and higher rates of Pip claims for neurodiverse conditions, with senior policy analyst Sally Gainsbury suggesting the pattern may stem from unequal access to official diagnoses and inconsistencies in how disability is evaluated.
- Senior policy analyst Sally Gainsbury warned that overwhelmed healthcare systems risk missing individuals with the most pressing needs, urging policymakers to establish clearer boundaries between healthcare, welfare benefits, and wider societal adjustments as an official government review is expected imminently.
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