Private Adult ADHD Assessment UK: Provider Checklist

The safest decision starts after the assessment

A short wait and an affordable assessment fee can look attractive. The larger risk is choosing a service without knowing who will assess you, how the conclusion will be reached or what happens next.

Before paying, compare the complete pathway:

1. clinical assessment
2. diagnostic report
3. explanation and follow-up
4. medication assessment if wanted and appropriate
5. titration and private prescriptions
6. ongoing specialist reviews
7. the plan if shared care is declined

This site does not diagnose ADHD or receive a referral fee from assessment providers. ADHD mentoring is a separate non-clinical service and does not depend on receiving a diagnosis.

First compare NHS-funded routes

In the UK, the local NHS route is free at the point of use. In England, an eligible patient may also be able to choose a qualifying NHS-contracted provider through the route commonly called Right to Choose.

Private assessment may still suit someone who:

• cannot access the England patient-choice route
• wants a particular appropriately qualified clinician
• wants an appointment sooner than the available NHS options
• wants an in-person format that local options do not offer
• understands and can sustain the potential follow-up cost

Read how to get an adult ADHD diagnosis in the UK before assuming private care is the only route.

Check the assessing clinician

Do not rely on the word "specialist" in marketing. Ask for the name and role of the person who will make the diagnostic decision.

NICE says diagnosis should be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional with relevant ADHD training and expertise.

Check the professional on the appropriate public register, such as:

• General Medical Council for doctors
• Nursing and Midwifery Council for nurses
• Health and Care Professions Council for practitioner psychologists and some other professions

Confirm:

• registration is current
• the registered role matches what is advertised
• the professional has adult ADHD assessment expertise
• who provides clinical supervision, if relevant
• who signs and takes responsibility for the report
• whether the same person can prescribe, if medication matters to you

Only an appropriately qualified prescriber can prescribe. A diagnosis by a non-prescribing professional may require a separate medication appointment.

Check the assessment process

NICE does not set a universal minimum appointment length or require one named questionnaire. Quality should be judged by the full process, not minutes alone.

A complete assessment should cover:

• current symptoms and functioning
• developmental and psychiatric history
• childhood onset
• more than one setting
• functional impairment
• observer information where appropriate
• mental state
• physical and mental-health history
• coexisting conditions and alternative explanations

NICE says diagnosis must not be made from a rating scale alone. NHS England's ADHD Taskforce likewise states that a full and thorough clinical assessment is required.

Ask the clinic:

1. Which diagnostic framework do you use?
2. What information is collected before the appointment?
3. How do you handle missing school reports or unavailable family informants?
4. How do you assess alternative and coexisting conditions?
5. Can the clinician request more information rather than forcing a same-day conclusion?
6. Is the advertised appointment the whole assessment or one stage?
7. What accessibility adjustments are available?

Read what happens in an adult ADHD assessment for the clinical process.

Check the report before you need it

Ask for a sample contents list, not another patient's report.

The final report should clearly identify:

• the assessor and professional role
• information sources
• developmental and current history
• symptoms, impairment and settings
• diagnostic framework and reasoning
• alternative and coexisting conditions considered
• conclusion
• recommendations and follow-up responsibilities

Also ask:

• whether the report is included in the fee
• when it is usually supplied
• how factual corrections are requested
• whether the clinic will answer another clinician's questions
• whether letters for work or education cost extra

A report can support further care, but no provider can guarantee that an NHS service, GP, employer or university will accept every recommendation.

Understand CQC registration

CQC status is often presented online as a simple legitimacy test. The position is more specific.

In England, CQC regulates defined activities. Its guidance updated on 26 March 2026 says that offering only an ADHD or autism diagnosis without treatment does not require registration for diagnostic and screening procedures. A clinic providing treatment may need registration for a relevant regulated activity.

Therefore:

• search the CQC register if the provider says it is registered
• check which legal entity and location the registration covers
• check which regulated activities are listed
• read inspection information where available
• do not assume absence or presence of registration answers every quality question

Professional registration, assessment quality, governance, complaints, data protection and follow-up all still matter.

Price the entire pathway

The assessment fee may exclude:

• report or feedback appointment
• medication baseline assessment
• ECG or other tests if clinically needed
• titration appointments
• prescription administration
• medicine supplied by the pharmacy
• blood-pressure equipment
• follow-up and annual review
• letters and shared-care proposals
• missed or cancelled appointments

Ask for a written quote using a stable scenario, such as:

If I receive an ADHD diagnosis, choose medication, need six months of private titration and my GP declines shared care, what fees could I pay in the first 12 and 24 months?

The private ADHD assessment cost guide contains current published examples and a quote worksheet. Prices can change, so verify them on the provider's own site before paying.

Shared care needs a fallback

Shared care allocates responsibilities between the specialist and GP. It is not a transfer that ends specialist involvement.

The NHS says a GP may be able to take over prescribing under a shared-care agreement. A GP can decline when they do not consider the arrangement appropriate or cannot meet the responsibilities.

Before booking, ask:

• Does the GP practice consider private ADHD shared care?
• Which local protocol or criteria apply?
• How long must treatment be stable?
• What report and monitoring information are required?
• Which specialist reviews remain necessary?
• Who prescribes if shared care is declined or later ends?
• What will that fallback cost?

Do not rely on a clinic's acceptance percentage as a guarantee for your GP.

See the ADHD shared-care guide for a fuller explanation.

Privacy, consent and complaints

Assessment involves sensitive developmental, mental-health and family information.

Check:

• how video appointments and records are secured
• who can access questionnaires and recordings
• whether sessions are recorded and how consent works
• how long information is retained
• whether data is used to train systems or for research
• the privacy notice
• the complaint process and escalation route
• cancellation and refund terms

Do not send school, medical or identity documents through an unverified personal email or messaging account.

Red flags

Pause before paying if a provider:

• guarantees a diagnosis
• bases diagnosis on one questionnaire
• will not name the responsible clinician
• misrepresents professional or CQC registration
• cannot explain how other conditions are considered
• hides mandatory follow-up fees
• promises that every GP will accept shared care
• pressures you to buy medication or coaching
• lacks a clear privacy, cancellation or complaint policy
• discourages you from asking for the clinical report

Marketing language is not evidence of poor care by itself, but important guarantees that cannot be true are a serious concern.

Preparing without being coached to a result

Collect real examples from childhood and current life, including situations that go well. Note which systems, people or environments affect functioning.

The assessment preparation guide helps organise evidence without suggesting what to say.

Where mentoring fits

An independent ADHD mentor can help organise questions, compare practical commitments and plan support around an appointment. Mentoring cannot recommend a diagnostic provider as a clinical authority, verify a diagnosis, coach answers or intervene in prescribing.

After any assessment outcome, mentoring may help with non-clinical routines and goals.

If that independent scope would help, you can book a free 15-minute discovery call. Use the provider, GP or regulated professional for clinical questions.

Key points

• Check the responsible clinician, not only the clinic brand.
• A full clinical assessment is required; no questionnaire diagnoses ADHD.
• CQC registration rules are activity-specific.
• Compare the two-year pathway, not only the assessment fee.
• Shared care is voluntary and needs an affordable fallback.
• Review report, privacy, cancellation and complaint terms before paying.
• Mentoring is independent, non-clinical support.

This article was source-checked on 29 July 2026 against NHS, NICE, NHS England and CQC guidance. It is general information and has not been reviewed by a psychiatrist, GP, pharmacist, regulator or solicitor.