ADHD assessment UK: NHS, Right to Choose and private routes

ADHD assessment UK: where do you start?

You start with your GP. The NHS says that if ADHD is affecting your studies, work or relationships, you should book an appointment. The GP will ask about the effect on your life, may consider other conditions such as autism, Tourette's or anxiety, and can refer you to a mental health professional who specialises in ADHD.

If you were diagnosed with ADHD as a child and need help now, the NHS says to ask your GP about a referral too.

The assessment itself is done by a specialist, so the question you are really asking your GP is whether, and to whom, they will refer you.

We have not used any assessment service, and this page is not medical advice. It reports what the official pages below say, checked on 26 October 2026. Rules and waits change, so confirm with your GP.

What happens at an adult ADHD assessment?

You see an ADHD specialist, such as a psychiatrist, who asks about your history. The NHS page says they will want to know whether it began in childhood and how they affected you at school, and they will cover work, family and friends, and your medical history including mental health.

They may ask to speak to someone who knows you well. If you are diagnosed, the specialist explains what it means, the next steps and the support that may be available. The Scottish NHS inform page adds that there is no single test or checklist that confirms ADHD. Clinicians look at your history and how it affects your daily life.

How long is the wait for an ADHD assessment?

The official answer is "it varies, and it can be long". The NHS adult page says you may have to wait several months or years for ADHD specialist services, and gives no figures. NHS 111 Wales says the same. NHS inform in Scotland says waiting lists can be very long, again without a number.

The most recent official data is NHS England Digital's ADHD Management Information, published on 27 August 2026. It reports up to 959,662 open referrals in June 2026 that may be for an ADHD assessment, and up to 37,105 new referrals to mental health services that month, which is 46.7% more than June 2025. Two warnings come with that. The page says the figures are not directly comparable with months before February 2025, because independent providers began submitting data and that raised the count, and the wording is "up to" and "may be for", so they are not confirmed ADHD referrals.

We could not confirm a national average or median wait on any live official page, so we are not quoting one. Anyone who gives you a precise national figure is working from a different source, and it is worth asking which. Local waits can differ a great deal, and your GP practice or local NHS provider is the place to ask.

What is Right to Choose for ADHD, and who can use it?

Right to Choose is an NHS England arrangement that lets you choose which provider your first outpatient appointment is with, as long as the provider holds a qualifying NHS contract. NHS England's patient choice guidance names ADHD and autism assessments as examples of services that may be delivered remotely under it.

In practice this can mean a provider with a shorter list than your local service. The NHS adult ADHD page says your GP may be able to find a clinic with a shorter waiting list through it. The guidance requires the provider to hold an NHS contract for the service.

The guidance sets out limits. It does not cover:

• urgent, emergency or crisis care
• self-referrals, or referrals from one consultant to another
• people already receiving care for the same condition
• people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, in prison, or serving in the armed forces

Your GP also has to judge that a referral is appropriate on medical grounds, and the guidance says they are not required to refer if they think it is not. It asks referrers to aim for a shortlist of about five choices where that is practical.

The guidance does not say whether providers will prescribe medication or follow you up afterwards. It asks referrers to consider ongoing care, such as shared care protocols for certain medicines, before making the referral, and says the same team will usually look after you for the whole episode of care. So ask the provider, before you choose, what happens after a diagnosis.

We do not recommend or name providers. The list changes, and it is not ours to vouch for.

Can you pay for a private ADHD assessment?

Yes, but check what the NHS will do with the result before you pay. NHS inform says that many private providers offer ADHD assessments, and that your local NHS health board or GP practice may not accept the outcome and so may not provide care based on it. Check first.

The NHS adult page describes the other medication rule: ADHD medicines have to be started and monitored by an ADHD specialist, and a GP may take over prescribing only if there is a shared care agreement between the GP and the specialist. That is why "will my GP accept this?" is worth asking before you choose any provider. We could not find a live official page that gives private assessment prices, so we do not quote any.

There is a middle route in England. The NHS page says you can ask for an NHS appointment at any clinic, including a private one, if it provides ADHD services for the NHS in England. That is the same idea as Right to Choose.

How do England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ?

The first step is the same everywhere, which is your GP. After that the pathway differs.

For Scotland, NHS inform also says that while you wait you can try lifestyle and environmental changes, and in many cases you will need to try them before an assessment can be completed. Ask your GP what your board expects.

None of the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish pages we read mention Right to Choose, so do not assume the English arrangement applies there.

Things to know

• Asking for a referral is your right to try, not a guarantee. A GP can decide a referral is not appropriate. If you are refused, ask what they would need to see, and consider a second opinion from a different GP.
• Waits are a poor guide to what you will get. Official pages give no numbers, so the best figure for you is the one your GP practice or provider quotes today.
• Work support has its own rules. GOV.UK describes Access to Work as for people with a physical or mental health condition or disability who need help to get or stay in work; check its eligibility page, and see our Access to Work guide.
• We could not check everything. Waiting times by area, private prices and the current list of Right to Choose providers all change, and we have left them out rather than guess.
• This is information, not advice. If you are worried about your health, speak to your GP.