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If you think that you or your child may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and have spoken to your GP only to find that waiting times via the NHS are extended, you may be considering private assessment. In this guide, we share our 2024 research into the average cost of private ADHD assessment, along with waiting times around the country and some things to be aware of.
In the past decade, the number of people seeking information about ADHD assessment for themselves or their children has risen sharply, with historic Google search data illustrating the explosion in interest.
Pre-COVID-19, Google search activity in the UK for the term “ADHD assessment” was steadily increasing, but the pandemic triggered an acceleration of interest, which continued well after restrictions were lifted.
According to Google Keyword Planner, at the peak of interest in April 2024, there were in the region of 12,000 searches for the term "ADHD assessment." However, if you combine that with variations of the same thing, "ADHD testing" or "ADHD diagnosis," for example, the number of searches was closer to 100,000, showing the scale of demand.
There's likely not a single factor that's caused the increase in people seeking ADHD assessment, but more a combination, including:
Whatever the cause, one thing is for certain: awareness and demand for assessment have rocketed in the past few years, leading to extremely long waiting times in the NHS.
There is currently no national data on referrals or waiting times for ADHD assessments. While there is some data on autism, it’s labelled as experimental by the NHS and doesn’t include all diagnosis routes.
The lack of NHS ADHD waiting time data led The Petitions Committee to run an online survey in early 2023, asking people about their experiences with ADHD and autism assessments.
Of the respondents who were waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment:
The survey also found that most people who had received an assessment via the NHS had to wait over a year. Indeed, most of those (48%) surveyed and given a diagnosis had received it privately, with only 35% being diagnosed via the NHS.
In July 2024, the BBC published an article claiming that waiting list backlogs in many areas of the UK were so long that it would take eight years to clear them.
As part of the BBC’s research, they submitted Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts and health boards to find out how large the waiting lists were across the country, with 44 out of 66 responding.
The BBC found that 177,404 people were waiting for ADHD assessments, with just 21,011 assessments carried out in 2023.
So, somewhat inevitably, people are looking at the private sector for faster assessment and treatment.
In June 2024, myTribe researchers contacted 401 private ADHD clinics across the UK, asking what they charge for assessment and follow-up consultations.
While there's no certainty that you or your child will be diagnosed with ADHD, considering the cost of private treatment alongside that of assessment is essential as, in most cases, if you're diagnosed privately, you'll need to at least start treatment in the private sector before you can look at going back to the NHS. In fact, some people find it difficult to return to the NHS and, therefore, have little choice but to continue paying for private treatment (read more about this later in this article by clicking here).
The NHS lists numerous treatment options for people with ADHD and states that a combination of medicine and therapy is usually best. These are the most common treatment options according to the NHS:
If your psychiatrist recommends and you agree to start a course of ADHD medicines, in most cases, you'll need to titrate under their care before you can look at going back to your NHS GP under a Shared Care Agreement.
The process of finding the correct dosage of medicine through careful monitoring and regular follow-up consultations.
An agreement between you, your GP and psychiatrist that enables prescribing and monitoring to be shared.
How long it takes for each person to titrate and find a stable dose differs, but, often it'll be a minimum of three to six months before you can seek a shared care agreement and potentially reduce the cost of on-going medication based treatment. With the average cost of a private follow-up being £173, plus private prescription costs varying from £25-£125 depending on the medicine chosen, you shouldn't be surprised if you spend upwards of £1,000-£1,500 on top of the assessment fee, and that's without considering talking therapies or coaching.
In June 2024, our private healthcare researchers contacted 401 private ADHD clinics across the UK to find the typical cost of a private ADHD assessment and the cost of follow-up consultations if a diagnosis is made.
Overall, we found that the average cost of an ADHD assessment in 2024 was £1,267 (£1,200 for adults and £1,361 for children) and the average cost of a 30-minute follow-up consultation was £173.
Prices varied significantly across the UK, and the table below details the average costs by region of the UK.
Interestingly, London isn't the most expensive place for an ADHD assessment with six other regions being more costly. However, follow-up consultations in the capital are just over 20% higher than the national average, which means psychiatrists in London will turn out to be more expensive if you are diagnosed and have several additional appointments.
East of England was the most expensive place for private assessment, with adults paying on average £1,351 and children (or their parents) paying £1,510.
A surprising finding was that Scotland saw the second-highest fees for adult ADHD assessments, with follow-up consultations above the national average. This is surprising as when we look at other types of private medical treatment, such as surgery and dental costs, Scotland is almost always one of the least expensive regions of the UK. Not so with ADHD.
There are a few ways you can potentially pay for private ADHD assessment, as we’ve highlighted below:
Under Right to Choose, you have the legal right to choose the organisation to whom you are referred, as long as that organisation provides services to the NHS and doesn't cost more than it would via the NHS. So, if you can find a private ADHD assessment service that meets those criteria, you may be able to be referred to them, and the NHS should pay the bill.
In most cases, those who go private will self-pay for assessment and any required treatment. While the Right to Choose may be an option for some, it can be hard to find organisations that qualify, and therefore, you have little choice but to pay for the services yourself.
Finally, if neither of the above options is viable, a personal loan could be a way to spread the cost, but please only do this if you are sure that the repayments are affordable.
Our pricing research focused on the cost of initial assessment and treatment via medication. However, as we outlined earlier, other treatment options are available, such as therapy and coaching, which can be equally beneficial.
Professional ADHD coach Richard Low said "it's worth mentioning that ADHD medication may be life changing for some, but for others the side effects may outweigh the benefits, and other avenues of support such as ADHD coaching and solution-based therapies may be of help."
Richard suggests that adults with an ADHD diagnosis who are looking for coaching should consider applying to the Government's Access to Work scheme, which can help cover some or all of the cost.
Alongside understanding the cost of private ADHD assessment, many will likely be interested in the waiting times up and down the country. So, as part of our research, we inquired about current waiting times in the private sector, finding that the nationwide average was just 43 days.
The interactive graphic below shows the average waiting time for private assessment broken into regions of the UK.
Scotland had the most extended waiting times, with people typically needing to wait 71 days on average, with the East Midlands not far behind on 61 days.
Waiting times were shortest in Wales, where, on average, people only needed to wait 25 days to be assessed.
The BBC's researchers received four responses from NHS trusts and health boards in Scotland, but, they found those organisations had a waiting list of 4664 people, with just 474 people being assessed in 2023.
Based on those figures, if the assessment rate stays the same, it would take 9.8 years to clear the backlog of cases.
As you can see from our figures, waiting times for private assessment are the longest in Scotland, and assessment costs are also the second highest in the UK, suggesting that demand for private services is such that providers are pushing prices up.
There are undoubtedly benefits to private psychiatrists helping those looking for assessment, not least allowing people to get the treatment they need if they have ADHD, but, it's not without risks.
While the upfront cost of assessment, with the need for follow-up consultations, private prescriptions and potentially therapy if diagnosed, can be costly, many believe that once they complete titration, they can return to the NHS, which can be challenging if their GP refuses a shared care agreement.
A survey by ADHD UK in April 2024 found GP practices in Wales were most frequently refusing a shared care agreement, with just 19% being accepted. That's in comparison to 29% being accepted in Scotland, 38% in Northern Ireland and 58% in England.
NHS GPs are entitled to refuse a shared care agreement if they are not happy with the burden of responsibility it imposes or feel they lack the clinical experience needed to enter into it.
If this happens, the patient with ADHD is faced with continuing to pay for private prescriptions and the associated psychiatrist fees to write the prescriptions (usually around £40 a time) or try to get a referral to the local NHS ADHD service if there is one.
The charity ADHDAdultUK has published recommendations of what to do if your shared care agreement is refused, which we've summarised below:
You can read their full recommendations on their website.
Many people will have gone private, received the diagnosis they have suspected for some time, and then received the treatment they need to live a better life. We're not for a minute saying that those benefits are outweighed by the risks, which are primarily cost-related.
But to best protect yourself from unforeseen costs, start by speaking with your GP, despite not needing a referral to go private. They will give you advice and say whether their practice typically accepts or refuses shared care agreements. If you find they often reject them, you can factor this into your decision-making process from the outset and even consider changing GP surgery sooner rather than later.
More information about the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD can be found on these websites:
Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.
Chris is our resident private health insurance and healthcare expert. He has over a decade of experience writing about private medical insurance and treatment. He's Chartered Insurance Institute qualified and is regularly quoted by the national press.
Under Right to Choose, you have the legal right to choose a provider, be that NHS or private, to carry out your medical treatment. However, the provider must already be providing services to the NHS and the treatment must not cost more than it would typically cost in an NHS clinic.
Assessing children for ADHD is often more time-consuming and carried out in person rather than online, which leads to higher typical costs.
Private health insurance in the UK doesn’t typically cover behaviour or developmental conditions, which is what ADHD is classed as. ADHD also falls into the category of being a chronic medical condition, which, again, isn’t covered by health insurance.
Our research in June 2024 found that the average waiting time for a private ADHD assessment was 43 days.
