You have filled in the screener. You have read the threads. You have decided, after however many years of wondering, that you want a proper assessment. Then you hit the part nobody writes down clearly: who do you actually ask?
There are three answers, not one. They differ in who pays, how long you wait and how much say you get over the timing. They do not differ in what a good assessment looks like.
We are a private clinic and we are paid. For a lot of people reading this, one of the free routes is the right one, so all three are here.
Route One: an NHS Referral Through Your GP
You see your GP, describe the difficulties, and ask to be referred to the local adult ADHD service. It costs nothing, whatever your income. The problem is the wait.
There is no official national ADHD waiting-time figure in the UK, because ADHD assessment is not covered by a national waiting-time standard. What NHS England has said, in its December 2025 plain English summary of the ADHD Taskforce report, is that "some people wait more than 2 years" and that "in some areas, waiting times have grown to 10-15 years."
It says some areas, and anyone quoting ten years as a flat national fact is misusing it. Phone the service your GP would refer you to and ask what the current wait is.
Route Two: Right to Choose in England
Right to Choose is a legal right, not a loophole. When your GP refers you in England for a first outpatient appointment, you can ask for that referral to go to a provider you have picked, rather than only the service your Integrated Care Board commissions locally.
It is free, because that provider is delivering NHS-commissioned care. You cannot self-refer, and it is England only. If cost is the thing stopping you, this is your route and not us, we hold no NHS contract and appear on no ICB's list.
Route Three: Paying Privately
You book it yourself. No GP referral, no ICB, and you pay, £650 for an adult assessment with us, usually within weeks.
What you are buying is not a better assessment. It is a faster and more predictable one. We will not promise you a diagnosis: the appointment ends with either a confirmed diagnosis or a written account of why the criteria were not met, and the fee is the same for both.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Right to Choose does not apply outside England, so the fork is two-way: your local NHS service, or paying privately. Private self-referral works the same wherever you live.
Where it differs is afterwards. Shared-care prescribing is agreed locally, so what your GP can take on may depend on your health board's policy.
Who Is Allowed to Diagnose ADHD
Whichever route you take, the same rule applies. NICE guideline NG87 says a diagnosis should only be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified professional with training and expertise in diagnosing ADHD.
That means a full clinical assessment, symptoms across more than one setting, and evidence of difficulties dating back to childhood. An online questionnaire is not a diagnosis. If anyone offers you one without a specialist consultation, walk away.
The Part Nobody Warns You About
Getting diagnosed and getting a repeat prescription your GP will issue are separate hurdles. ADHD medications are controlled drugs, and a GP takes them on under a shared care agreement, which they are not obliged to sign.
This is not a private-versus-NHS problem. Some Right to Choose providers only assess and diagnose, which can leave you diagnosed and untreated. So ask one question before you commit to any route: if medication is recommended, who prescribes it in twelve months' time?
How to Choose
Start with cost. If paying several hundred pounds is not realistic, your route is the NHS, through your GP, or Right to Choose if you are in England. Do not let any private clinic, including this one, talk you past that question.
If cost is not the constraint, the deciding question is usually timing. Only the private route lets you fix the date, and that matters if a tribunal, a probation period or a university deadline is driving this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get an ADHD assessment without seeing my GP?
Only by paying. Both free routes require your GP to send the referral. Telling your GP afterwards still matters, because they are the person who will be asked about shared care.
Does going private take me off the NHS waiting list?
No, and you are not obliged to withdraw. Tell both services so you are not assessed twice. If you withdraw and change your mind, the referral starts again from the beginning.
Conclusion
A diagnosis is not the end of anything. It is the point at which the question stops being "is this me?" and starts being "what do I do about it?"
That second question is answered the same way whether you paid for the answer or waited for it. Pick the route that fits what is actually constraining you.
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