Maddie Groom

Maddie is Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham. She is Director of the Centre for ADHD and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Institute of Mental Health and she co-leads the Children & Young People’s theme in MindTech with a specific focus on neurodiversity.

Maddie’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underpinning the symptoms and difficulties of neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly ADHD and tic disorders, and using this knowledge to guide improvements in the assessment and treatment of children, young people, and adults affected by neurodevelopmental differences. This includes identifying, developing and evaluating digital technology to support the care pathway. She is the lead for the Waiting Well study, overseeing and coordinating all work packages, and developing the next phase of the research.

Charlotte Hall

Charlotte co-leads the Waiting Well project. She has a keen interest in exploring how digital interventions can be used to improve the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Charlotte is interested in online trial delivery and exploring methodological developments in this area. She is also interested in how interventions with established clinical and cost-effectiveness may be adopted and evaluated into routine practice. Charlotte is co-leading work package 4, leading research design and team building.

Henry Law

Henry is the Research Assistant for the Waiting Well project. He has a wide breadth of experience in mental health settings and a strong background in research. This includes holding a Masters in the Clinical Applications of Psychology, where he completed research on the peer relationships of adults with ADHD.

As part of the Waiting Well team, Henry will be completing several tasks across the different work projects. This includes contributing to the systematic review exploring psychoeducation for ADHD (WP2), interviewing adults on their experiences awaiting an ADHD assessment (WP3) and organising meetings with a wide variety of experts who can provide their thoughts on the project (WP4).

Bethan Davies

Dr Bethan Davies works as a Senior Research Fellow within the NIHR MindTech research group at the University of Nottingham. She is a chartered research psychologist in health psychology. Bethan had a lead role in the development and evaluation of the behavioural and psychoeducation interventions tested in the Online Remote Behavioural Intervention for Tics (ORBIT) trial for children and young people with tics. She has also led research exploring people’s experiences of pain and pain management for tics, and the role and value of online support groups for people with tics and their families. Bethan has an advisory role within the Waiting Well project, and is using her expertise of systematic reviewing in actively contributing to the systematic review exploring psychoeducation for ADHD and similar digital resources (WP2).

Rebecca Woodcock

Matthew Moore

I am the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Coordinator here at MindTech. I work closely with our Senior Patient and Public Involvement Manager, Rebecca Woodcock to help her with the administration and delivery of MindTech’s PPI activity.

I have over a decade of experience within Patient and Public Involvement and have previously worked with various projects and panels within the NIHR, NICE, NHS, MHRA, charities and private sector organisations. I have lived experience of mental health and neurodiversity and I use this to support and inform my approach and understanding when working with others in mental health research.

Within the Waiting Well project I will be attending meetings and helping with recording the great contributions made by our PPI participants, as well as working with the project team on providing feedback on actions taken as a result of those contributions. I’ll also be processing payments for our participants.

Blandine French

Blandine works in clinical and research settings, collaborating with parents, children, and young individuals impacted by neurodevelopmental conditions. She leads the Nottingham Neurodiversity Network connecting local clinicians, commissioners, and service leaders. Her research focuses on ADHD care access. She previously developed an online educational tool with general practitioners, endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). Currently, she is engaged in a fellowship evaluating the risks and costs of undiagnosed autism and/or ADHD. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, she returned to university as a mature student to obtain a degree in child psychology.

Alinda Gillott

Dr Alinda Gillott is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist working in the Neurodevelopmental Specialist Service (NeSS) within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Alinda has worked in the Trust for 25 years and is a clinical lead assessing and supporting adults with Autism and ADHD. Alinda is interested in bringing research into clinical practice, and past research collaborations have included anxiety in autism, public awareness of ADHD, and the psychological impact of adult neurodevelopmental diagnosis.  Alinda’s role in the project includes clinical guidance on the psychoeducation content of the tool and routes for dissemination to healthcare practitioners working in clinical services. 

Aislinn Bergin-Gomez

Dr. Aislinn Gomez Bergin holds the position of Responsible AI Transitional Assistant Professor and MindTech Emerging Technologies Lead at the University of Nottingham. Her extensive experience encompasses the design, evaluation, and implementation of healthcare technologies from a multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral perspective. Her previous projects have involved the development of innovative AI and XR interventions for mental health, as well as the improvement of the evaluation, implementation, and sustainable adoption of digital technologies within mental healthcare settings.

In the Waiting Well project, Dr. Gomez Bergin collaborates with Dr. Charlotte Hall to lead WP4. Leveraging her extensive professional network, she facilitates the integration and involvement of collaborators and stakeholders who will support the project and the future programme grant. Additionally, she provides crucial support in key decisions regarding the design of the intervention, thereby guiding the methods of the future programme grant.

Anna Price

Dr Anna Price is an Associate Professor in Primary Care and Children and Young People's Mental Health from the University of Exeter. At the University of Exeter Anna co-leads the Science of ADHD and Neurodevelopment Collaboration (SAND) and the Mental Health theme for Academic Primary Care (APEX).

She is a Co-Investigator on the Waiting Well study, where she co-leads work package 3, aiming to understand stakeholders’ views and experiences of awaiting ADHD assessment. Anna has extensive experience of working in child and adolescent mental health, with a focus on neurodevelopmental difference, transition, and digital technologies. She holds expertise in primary care delivery research, mapping health services, and carrying out collaborative mixed methods research working with a range of research partners including people with lived experience.

Blum Health

Blüm Health are our development partner and are industry leaders in NHS-ready product development and impact strategists. By building and connecting solutions for exceptional outcomes and redefined results, they support healthcare ecosystems to become more digitally mature. Founded by a team of clinicians and engineers, they specialise in bridging the gap between healthcare excellence and technological innovation.

Alessio Bellato

Dr. Alessio Bellato is a Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Southampton, UK, and formerly practiced as a child clinical psychologist in Italy. His current research focuses on the utility of arousal regulation markers, such as heart rate variability, as diagnostic tools for emotional dysregulation and as metrics for evaluating intervention outcomes in neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD. His work combines evidence synthesis, such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses, with empirical methodologies, including eye-tracking, electroencephalography, and psycho-physiological measures. Dr. Bellato also leads the Mind and Neurodevelopment (MiND) Research Group at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, which investigates neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions within cross-cultural and multicultural contexts. In his role as Joint Editor at the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology Advances, he facilitates the publication of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ensuring adherence to contemporary guidelines and methodological standards.

Kelly-Marie Prentice

Kelly-Marie is a project management professional with specific experience in digital technology implementations in the private sector, local government and the NHS. Having worked for the Health Innovation Network, Kelly-Marie has experience in developing commercialisation and adoption strategies and has developed an extensive network of stakeholders. In her advisory role on this project, Kelly-Marie supports the technical workstream by helping to facilitate effective collaboration between software developers and research teams. She has also contributed to the formation of the Expert Advisory Group and continues to support productive partnerships between Blum Health and the Waiting Well team.

Meet the Lived Experience Team

As part of the Waiting Well project, we have sought the opinions of people who have lived experience with ADHD. They are called the ‘Lived Experience Advisory Panel’ (LEAP). Please see below for details on some of the members.

 Mat Rawsthorne

I am chair of the Lived Experience Advisory Panel, who are the PPI group for Waiting Well. I am a management accountant by background who got into research as a participant on a difficult-to-treat depression trial and later began encouraging others to engage in Patient & Public Involvement and peer support activities. I received my ADHD diagnosis in 2019 (I think!) when I was researching online support platforms. Since then, I have acted as an ‘expert-by-experience’ and codesign facilitator for a wide range of digital mental health projects including support for neurodivergent adults. I am (still) on the waiting list for an Autism assessment.

Ayan Mahamud

My name is Ayan Mahamud, I am a co-deputy chair of Digital Youth, Sprouting Minds, and an Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner and an ADHDer, participating within this project! I received my ADHD diagnosis at 19, my discovery of my ADHD was onset by a change in my family dynamics, where I undertook a caring role for my parent who became terminally ill. At this time, I became a full time carer, student, and had 2 jobs. Following receiving my diagnosis, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, as all my internal struggles were now believed rather than dismissed. However, the diagnostic procedure itself was very challenging. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity, as I believe there is vast improvement needed within the current processes of the adult ADHD diagnostic procedure.

Gary Morgan

Gary Morgan is a Lived Experience Advisory Panel member as an expert-by-experience. Having been on waiting lists for neurodiversity assessments is keen to feed into improvements into the support and communication people receive while they're waiting for appointments. He also brings many years of web design and website evaluation experience to the project.

Claire Griggs

I joined the PPI panel for Waiting Well in January 2025, after being diagnosed with ADHD in January 2024. Two of my three children have been diagnosed with ADHD and other neurodivergencies, while my middle child is currently still undiagnosed. Having sat on the CAMHS waiting list for 3 and a half years with my eldest, we opted to seek private diagnoses for him. My youngest was diagnosed quicker via CAMHS due to the “family history”. As a parent who has repeatedly been made to feel that I am failing my children, while suffering with both imposter syndrome and rejection sensitivity from awaiting my own assessment, I know it’s a lonely path to walk before you get that validation of diagnosis. I strongly believe that Waiting Well will be invaluable to those struggling with a desperate lack of information, signposting and support on the pathway to diagnosis. I am now a keen advocate for neurodivergent rights and mental health support and am involved with several ADHD related PPI panels.

David Goddard

I really enjoy providing my lived-experience of neurodiversity to projects such as Waiting Well. I am passionate about helping others by sharing my thought, helping the project to develop ideas that will hopefully have a lasting positive impact for others. Waiting for ADHD diagnosis put a pause on my life - but with tools like this, it can be an opportunity to learn about ourselves and our place in the world.

I am passionate about making a difference, being involved in research projects helps me to do this. I am also part of other studies relating to neurodiversity and mental health.

Kati Gale

I'm a lived experience panel member having been a later in life diagnosed AuDHDer. I'm actively involved in the ND community both locally and further afield, and I'm very much of the opinion that isolation is the biggest issue for the neurodiverse whether that's being cut off from information, support or simply knowing enough about it to recognise it in oneself. I'm a keen champion of getting good sources of information to those who need it and so I am throwing all my knowledge in the pot for the new tool to make sure it conveys as much as possible but in an easy to digest format.