The commissioning and benchmarking tool

Log in to the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young people commissioning and benchmarking tool

Use the service for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young people commissioning and benchmarking tool to determine the level of service that might be needed locally and to calculate the cost of commissioning the service, as described below.

Identify indicative local service requirements

The indicative benchmark based on the national average for referral to a service for the assessment, diagnosis and management of children and young people with moderate-to-severe ADHD for 3-15 years is 50 per 100,000 population (all ages), per year.

An indicative benchmark rate is also offered below for children and young people aged 3-17 years for those commissioners who wish to include young people aged 16 and 17 in the planning of services for children and young people.

Available data suggests that the indicative benchmark rate for referral to a service for the assessment, diagnosis and management of children and young people with moderate-to-severe ADHD for 3-17 years is 60 per 100,000 population (all ages), per year.

The commissioning and benchmarking tool helps you to assess local service requirements using the indicative benchmark as a starting point. With knowledge of your local population and its demographic, you can amend the benchmark to better reflect your local circumstances. For example, if your population or has a significantly lower or higher rate of ADHD than the average population, you may need to provide services for relatively fewer or more people.

Review current commissioned activity

You may already commission a service for ADHD in children and young people for your population. The tool provides tables that you can populate to help you calculate your current commissioned activity and associated costs.

Identify future change in capacity required

Using the indicative benchmark provided, or your own local benchmark, you can use the commissioning and benchmarking tool to compare the activity that you might need to commission against your current commissioned activity. This will help you to identify the future change in capacity required. Depending on your assessment, your future provision may need to be increased or decreased.

Model future commissioning intentions and associated costs

You can use the commissioning and benchmarking tool to calculate the capacity and resources needed to move towards the benchmark level, and to model the required changes over a period of 4 years.

Use the tool to calculate the level and cost of activity you intend to commission and to consider the settings in which the service for ADHD in children and young people may be provided, comparing the costs of commissioning the service across the various settings. The tool is pre-populated with data on the potential recurrent cost elements that may need to be considered in future service planning, which can be reviewed and amended to better reflect your local circumstances.

Commissioning decisions should consider both the clinical and economic viability of the service, and take into account the views of local people. Commissioning plans should also take into account the costs of monitoring the quality of the services commissioned.