Friday 16 October 2026
Night Edition
ZOTPAPER

News without the noise

ZOTPAPER
World

Senior health civil servant urged to recuse herself from ADHD clinic clampdown over industry ties

MPs say permanent secretary Samantha Jones has conflict of interest due to her former role as chair and shareholder of Keys Group, which owns major private provider ADHD360

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
MPs from Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called on the Department of Health and Social Care's most senior civil servant to step away from any role in the government's planned crackdown on private ADHD and autism clinics, citing her recent financial ties to a major provider of neurodiversity assessments.

Samantha Jones, who became permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 April 2025, was still chair, director and shareholder of the private care provider Keys Group a month later when it bought ADHD360 for £22.5m on 16 May. At the time, Jones was also an operating partner in G Square Capital, the private equity company that owns Keys Group.

ADHD360, which describes itself as the "leading UK-wide ADHD clinic", has earned £26m from NHS England over the past six years. Ministers are drawing up plans to better regulate what the government has called the "wild west" of private clinics offering assessments, diagnosis and treatment for ADHD and autism, after a review by Professor Peter Fonagy raised concerns about the "consistency and quality" of private providers and their inbuilt "financial incentives" to diagnose and treat.

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to introduce a much tougher regulatory regime. As permanent secretary, Jones would be expected to advise ministers on how to strengthen regulation. Four MPs have argued she should recuse herself from those decisions because of her previous links to ADHD360, which they say represent a serious conflict of interest.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not yet commented on the MPs' calls.

§

Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The controversy raises questions about conflicts of interest at the highest levels of the civil service, where senior officials oversee policy on industries they previously worked in.
  • The outcome could affect the regulation of a rapidly growing private neurodiversity sector that provides NHS-funded assessments and treatments, touching thousands of patients.
  • The government's response will test its commitment to transparency and the robustness of its new regulatory framework for ADHD and autism services.

Background

The government recently accepted the findings of a review by Professor Peter Fonagy, which warned that private providers of neurodiversity services may have financial incentives to over-diagnose and overtreat. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper responded by promising tougher regulation of what ministers described as a "wild west" market. The permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant in a department, responsible for overseeing the implementation of government decisions and advising ministers on policy.

Key Perspectives

MPs (Labour and Liberal Democrats): They argue Samantha Jones's recent roles as chair, director and shareholder of Keys Group, which owns ADHD360, create a clear conflict of interest. They want her to play no part in the regulatory clampdown. Department of Health and Social Care: The department has not yet responded. Jones sold her shares in Keys Group after the ADHD360 acquisition, but MPs say her recent ties still compromise her impartiality. Critics of the current system: The Fonagy review highlighted the risk that private clinics may prioritise profit over quality, and some patient groups have raised concerns about inconsistent standards across the sector.

What to Watch

  • Whether Samantha Jones voluntarily recuses herself from the regulatory work, or whether the health secretary will require her to do so.
  • The details of the government's planned regulatory reforms, expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
  • Any further disclosures about other senior civil servants' financial interests in sectors they help regulate.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

How we workSubscribe